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Alarm raised over GM crop samples

Banned production is increasing, group says

Published: 9/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News

Genetically-modified chilli and soybean have been found growing in farms in the North and Central Plains, fuelling concerns over the possible spread of the banned crops.

Farmer advocacy group Biothai and the Academic Network on Bio-Resources Protection yesterday released the lab results of 768 crop samples, including maize, rice, papaya, soybean, chilli, pineapple, cotton, tomato and sunflower, which show 17 of the samples are GM crops.

The samples were collected in 40 provinces countrywide from November 2008 to July 2009 and sent to Chulalongkorn University's laboratory for testing.

The GM crops were maize from Chiang Mai, Phrae, Phitsanulok, Ayutthaya and Saraburi; papaya from Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya; soybean from Mae Hong Son, Nakhon Sawan and Chiang Mai; chilli from Chiang Mai; and cotton from Lop Buri.

It was the first time the two groups found local chilli and soybean which contained genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).

"GMOs contamination in these two crops is a big warning that the GM crops have been spread to many types of farm crops," said Piyasak Chaumpruk, director of the Laboratory of Plant Transgenic Technology and Biosensor at Chulalongkorn University.

"However, we have found only one sample of GM chilli and, fortunately, we've found no GMOs in rice," Mr Piyasak said.

"This means the spread of GM crops in the country is controllable if there is active cooperation between related agencies."

Mr Piyasak said the GM soybean had similar genes to herbicide-resistance soybean grown in other countries. It is believed the GM soybean is grown from imported seeds.

GM papaya found in Nakhon Sawan and Ayutthaya could be caused by a leakage of transgenic papaya from the state-run field trials of GM crops, he said.

Biothai director Withoon Lianchamroon called on agencies to urgently set up a joint committee to deal with the spread of GM crops to local farms.

He gave the agencies two months to stop the contamination of GMOs otherwise the farmer network would come up with means to pressure the government on the matter.

Mr Withoon also demanded that agencies strengthen regulations to prevent GM crops from entering the country, revise the biosafety law to increase the punishment for anyone causing GMO leaks and provide compensation for damaged parties.

The commercial planting of GM crops is banned in Thailand. The government only allows field trials of the crops under the close supervision of the Department of Agriculture.

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: Writer: Apinya Wipatayotin; Position: Reporter

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Mathias

Discussion 9 : 12/02/2010 at 04:53 PM9
It is not "GMOs" which were detected, not organisms, but genetically modified plants. The plant is the organism, not some but crawling over it.

What is the problem with GM crops? Just take a look at what happened to papaya from Hawai'i. GM papaya was introduced in 1998, the modifiction spread to other cultivars by cross-pollination, and now Hawai'i has huge problems exporting non-modified papaya, because it practically ceased to exist. Costs of production skyrocket, as not every exporter has to do the test, and the market is more or less gone. That's what GM does to your market, even if there is no imminent safety issue.

But there is: the modification is not only the introduction of a virus protein (in the sense of a vaccination) for the papaya ring spot virus - which means that eating papaya also means eating the virus protein! -, but also the transfer of antobiotics resistence genes as markers for the success of the modificastion. Thus, it is not only the plant virus resistance which is passed on to other plants and organisms, but also the resistance against antibiotics used by us!

The question whether there is a risk for consumers is still not convincingly answered. Safety assessment upon introduction of GM papaya was based on the hypothesis that consumers are also in contact with the virus protein when ingesting fruits from virus-infested plants, so there should be no problem. Apparently there is in fact no problem known, but the way how this thing was handled is far from being satisfactory. Other commodities have been banned for much less based on the precautionaly principle!

Who profits from GM papaya? In Hawai'i mostly the labs who do the tests. Who else? Would you be surprised to learn that GM papaya is a Monsanto development?
vulgariter

Discussion 8 : 11/02/2010 at 12:16 PM8
Could someone please do a test on the GM soybeans to determine whether or not the soybeans contain US agri-giant Monsanto's patented soybean gene Roundup Ready? If the soybeans do contain this gene, the plot thickens.

Roundup Ready soybeans have the following property:they are not killed by the nonselective herbicide Glyphosate, which kills conventional soybeans and which is contained by Monsanto's own herbicide, Roundup.
Roundup Ready soybeans are usually planted by a method developed in the US called direct drilling, which is unaffordable by small farmers.

Consult what happened to farming in Argentina to see what happens when you start planting Monsanto's Roundup Ready soybeans.
vulgariter

Discussion 7 : 09/02/2010 at 01:54 PM7
It states in the article that (a) the commercial planting of GM crops is banned in Thailand, and (b)the Thai government allows only field trials of GM crops *under the close supervision of the Department of Agriculture*. Now suppose two reasonable assumptions: (i) if they were so minded, the Thai government could enforce the ban by testing imported seeds, and (ii) if they were so minded, the Department of Agriculture could supervise these field trials closely enough to prevent the GM crops from appearing among commercially planted crops.

You then have to ask (1) how come imported GM seeds and have been planted and who allowed them to be planted, and (2) how come GM crops have escaped from close supervision into commercially planted areas, and who allowed this to happen?

Perhaps Thai agri-business has been promised part of the pie by the US? And perhaps Thai agri-business is in collusion with certain Thai politicians who are anxious to grab some of that pie?
vulgariter

Discussion 6 : 09/02/2010 at 11:35 AM6
Large corporations in the USA hold the patents to GM crops. In addition, they have developed a gene that stops the seeds from GM crops from germinating. The spread of GM crops must be stopped at all costs; otherwise, the only way that crops can be grown is by buying seeds from the USA. Hence, the USA will control the world's food supply.
vulgariter

Discussion 5 : 09/02/2010 at 11:33 AM5
Large corporations in the USA hold the patents to GM crops. In addition, they have developed a gene that stops the seeds from GM crops from germinating. The spread of GM crops must be stopped at all costs; otherwise, the only way that crops can be grown is by buying seeds from the USA. Hence, the USA will control the world's food supply.
tony

Discussion 4 : 09/02/2010 at 10:47 AM4
GM crops are unnecessary, proven to be unsafe, unpredictable, and spread uncontrolled effecting indigenous and natural crops.

They benefit only large argri-giants like Monsanto, and leave everyone including farmers strapped with massive debt as they are forced to buy new franken-seeds from the corporations every season.

In addition, vaccines and other forced medication schemes are being proposed to be laced into the genetic makeup of these plants, along with built-in pesticides. If the pesticides KILL insects what do you think is going to happen when you ingest it?

Thai government needs to purge big agri from it borders permanently.
vulgariter

Discussion 3 : 09/02/2010 at 10:31 AM3
Large corporations in the USA hold the patents to GM crops. In addition, they have developed a gene that stops the seeds from GM crops from germinating. The spread of GM crops must be stopped at all costs; otherwise, the only way that crops can be grown is by buying seeds from the USA. Hence, the USA will control the world's food supply.
David Brown

Discussion 2 : 09/02/2010 at 10:17 AM2
the American GM seed companies are very cunning and rich Thai are very greedy

best of luck in controlling these evil influences
drake

Discussion 1 : 09/02/2010 at 09:29 AM1
So, did they find some GMOs crawling around on/in the 'contaminated' samples or are the sample themselves GMOs ?

What's wrong with GM crops anyway ?
Do they cause global warming or something ?

Or is this yet another case of NGO gone wild ?