The GM debate re-opened last week when an Australian study found that GM pest-resistant peas cause lung damage in mice. The discovery and the abandoning of the 10-year research project to develop weevil resistance in field peas have proved the value of a case-by-case risk assessment into genetically modified organisms, but have split pro and anti GM lobbies down the middle.
The study aimed to develop weevil resistance in field peas and was carried out by the Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation in Australia. The CSIRO developed a genetically modified field pea using a gene from beans. The researchers identified a gene in the bean that produces a protective protein preventing it from being attacked by the weevil. This gene was then introduced to the peas and a feeding trial conducted on mice. The animals fed the GM peas developed an inflammation of the lungs and there was also evidence that the peas primed mice to react to other food antigens.
Professor Vivian Moses chairman of pro-GM group CropGen believes the results bring reassurance to the GM debate. “It shows that the safety net functioning as planned,” he said. “It is a pity that the scientists spent 10 years working on the research and have not come up with a solution to the weevil problem, but it does show that the safety net works.” He also pointed out that it is only the second time in GM history that a gene transferred from one organism to another has generated potential allergenicity problems.
But the Soil Association believes the results highlight the case for their own anti-GM stance. “This research exposes new and fundamental problems with GM techniques,” said Soil Association policy manager Gundula Azeez. “It shows that you cannot move genes from one plant to another artificially. This does not show that the system works as feeding tests are not part of the system. We only know about these results as it was a public body that carried out the research. Had it been a private company, there would be no obligation to report.”
Azeez told FPJ that the results give a clear message to the Food Standards Agency in the UK. “The FSA really should assume that all GMOs are unsafe unless proven otherwise,” she said. “It needs to prioritise human health and it is only on the back of proper animal safety tests that that can be achieved. These results show that GMOs are unpredictable and uncontrollable.”
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