Monsanto says corn safe for human, animal use

Monsanto's MON863 genetically modified corn has been subject to thorough review by hundreds of independent scientists on behalf of regulatory authorities in the US, Canada, Japan, European Union, Australia and even by toxicology experts in Europe and has been found to be safe and approved for food and feed, said K C Ravi, director, public affairs, Monsanto India.

He was countering arguments that MON863 corn caused signs of liver and kidney problems as well as hormonal changes in rats as has been alleged in a study performed by researchers from the Committee for Independent Research and Genetic Engineering at the University of Caen in France.

"The study in reference does not contain any new data. It merely used the original data from the study on rats and utilised a different statistical analysis. The analysis used was statistically flawed and is scientifically inappropriate to support the allegations being made," Ravi said.

Subsequently, two additional 90-day rat-feeding studies were conducted on MON863 corn that showed no evidence of adverse effects in rats, he added.

Ravi also pointed out that the Committee for Independent Research and Genetic Engineering does not acknowledge the two other studies conducted on MON863 corn that showed no evidence of health problems in rats.

These studies were also reviewed by European Food Safety Authority and the French regulatory agency Commission du Génie Biomoléculaire.

Thus, the overwhelming opinion of experts around the world is that MON863 is as safe as conventional corn for human and animal consumption and the environment, he added.

"In 2006, approximately 10.3 million farmers from 22 countries benefited from biotech crops and that is a testimony to the wide-scale acceptance of genetically modified crops," Ravi said.

The International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, which is an international non-profit organisation has revealed that about 90 per cent farmers who benefited from GM crops were resource-poor farmers from developing countries, whose increased incomes from biotech crops contributed to the alleviation of poverty.

Farmers prefer to plant genetically modified corn because these multi-trait corn hybrids have built in protection against a wider spectrum of pests and have higher yields with less use of insecticides, Ravi added.

He also pointed out that the demand for ethanol has increased the total planted acreage of corn by approximately 10 per cent in the US this year.

In 2006, about 2.2 million farmers planted Bollgard and Bollgard II hybrids across 8.77 million acres. Thus, usage has increased substantially from 2002 when Monsanto-Mahyco Biotech sold 72,000 acres worth of Bollgard to 55,000 farmers.

"The ever increasing Bollgard plantings demonstrate that the Indian farmer is willing to adopt a technology that delivers consistent benefits in terms of reduced pesticide use and increased income," Ravi said.

Farmers who have planted Bollgard cotton in 2006 earned an additional Rs 7,039 crore ($1,600 million) in income, according to a survey conducted by Indian Market Research Bureau in 2006.

"The technology is proven to be safe and has been released into the environment after very stringent bio-safety feed studies on various animals," Ravi concluded.