January 14, 2015

Source

Oilseed rape, also known as Raps, colza or canola, depending where you live, is widely used for cooking oils and biofuels, and is a major cash crop in Europe.

Among the many new “sensations” making the rounds on “natural” and extremist websites over the holidays was a report that genetically modified (GM) rapeseed was “growing freely” in Europe despite a “ban on cultivation” of it in Europe.

As usual, such reports displayed a breathtaking display of misinformation, cherry-picking, and activist hype.

First, the oilseed rape in question isn’t actually banned in most places in Europe, because it isn’t actually authorised for cultivation in Europe. (Various GM oilseed rape traits are approved for import for food and feed uses, but not for cultivation.) There’s no need to ban something that’s not authorised to be cultivated in the first place. Every genetically modified crop growing commercially in Europe–and there is only one of them, an insect-resistant maize that grows in Spain!–has to be assessed in terms of environment, health and safety (EHS) aspects by the European Food Safety Authority then authorised by European Union national governments or the European Commission. Moreover, EFSA’s EHS assessment includes the potential for oilseed rape seed spills in the context of  inevitable transport scatter. (Oilseed rape seed is very small, about the size of a pepper corn). So if the seed has been authorised, it has been authorised in full knowledge that some of it might scatter, and that this poses no threat to anyone.

Second, the reports made reference to a study published on the second of December entitled ”Unexpected Diversity of Feral Genetically Modified Oilseed Rape (Brassica napus L.) Despite a Cultivation and Import Ban in Switzerland. One commentator said it was “believed to be the first report of its kind showing that despite a cultivation and seed import ban of genetically modified (GM) oilseed rape in Switzerland, Monsanto and Bayer’s GM plants have been introduced into the environment there, confirming fears that once the GM genie has been let out of the bottle it can not be put back” [emphasis added].

Uh, actually, it can… In fact–and here’s where the cherry-picking comes in–many of the published articles, including some published since the start of the new year, completely ignored a report by the relevant Swiss authority, the Health Department of the City of Basel, Switzerland. The latter, on Dec. 16, 2014, published its own report (in German)–clearly referencing the study mentioned above–but reached an altogether different conclusion:

–The GM rapeseed, which had fallen off of trains in Basel in 2012, was identified and brought under control…almost a year ago.

–In 2014, of 1,464 samples taken at two rail yard locations in Basel in the spring, the percentage of GM rapeseed present was down to 3% and 2%, respectively. When they did the same tests in October last year, no–that’s right, no–GM rapeseed was found.

–While it conceded that the risk of new occurrences of un-authorized GM rapeseed was always possible, the Basel authority said its control measures were “successful” and “a decisive containment could prevent the spread of the GM rapeseed.”

But we guess that’s a story that the anti-GM crowd doesn’t want to see shared… If you have read this far and value the truth, please do share this post with anyone you think might be interested!