GeneWatch UK would like the Science Review Panel to include the following paper in its consideration of the environmental impact of GM crops and GM food and feed safety:

Saxena, D & Stotzky, G. (2001) Bt corn has a higher lignin content than non-Bt corn. American Journal of Botany 88(9): 1704-1706

This paper reports data for levels of lignin in 10 commercially grown hybrids of Bt maize in the US. Levels of lignin were 33-97% higher in GM compared to non-GM islines whether grown in the laboratory or in the field. Two of the events studies (MON810 and 176) have approval for cultivation, food and feed use in the EU and the other (Bt 11) has approval for importantion for food and feed use. These approvals were made in 1997 and 1998, before the above paper was published.

Certain questions are raised for these approvals, most particularly for MON810 and 176 which could be grown in EU and used in making silage for animal feed (where the stem material may also be included). The paper raises two questions. Firstly, could there be environmental impacts (positive or negative) on the soil as a result of the increased degredation time of residues in soil. Secondly, would the feeding value of silage made from these GM lines be adversely affected?

GeneWatch hopes the Science Review, as it considers environmental impacts and animal feed safety (or feeding value in this context), will consider the implications of such emerging knowledge and whether lessons for regulatory evaluation have been learnt. For example, were data on levels of lignin sunbmitted with environmental or food and feed safety for these maize lines during their evaluation? If not, why not? And, if data were available, what conclusions were drawn and on what grounds?

GeneWatch UK
The Mill House
Manchester Road
Tideswell
Buxton
Derbyshire SK17 8LN