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MAHARISHI INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL
OF NATURAL LAW PARTIES
NEWS SERVICE
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Tel.: +31-475-404111 • Fax: +31-475-403642
Internet: http://www.natural-law-party.org
E-mail: nlp@euronet.nl
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11 March 1999
SCIENTISTS ALERT MPs TO BAN GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOODS
A special all-party briefing for MPs of the British parliament
was held on 8
March in London in a House of Commons committee room, given by
scientists
concerned about the introduction of genetically modified foods.
Professor John Fagan, an eminent molecular biologist with 23
years of
experience at the cutting edge of molecular genetics techniques
in cancer
research, called for greater caution in the introduction of
genetically
modified foods.
"If genetic engineering is to be used in agriculture and
food production,
its implementation should be guided by the same kind of rigorous
science and
testing that is now used to assess new pharmaceuticals and food
additives.
Stringent short-term and long-term safety testing and
environmental
assessment are essential," Dr Fagan told MPs.
An imprecise and uncontrolled process
Using detailed charts to explain the process of genetic
engineering, Dr
Fagan showed how the insertion of specific new genes into an
organism is an
imprecise and uncontrolled process that may influence biological
functioning
in unpredictable ways. "There is always the risk that
genetically engineered
foods may contain unintended allergens and toxins, and may be
reduced in
nutritional value. Furthermore, genetically engineered crops may
disrupt the
ecosystem by reducing bio-diversity, damaging soil fertility,
inducing the
development of new pathogens, pests, and weeds, and increasing
the use of
toxic and carcinogenic agrochemicals."
Dr Fagan is Professor of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. He
initiated
world-wide debate on genetics research in 1994 when he returned
almost two
million dollars of grants from the US National Institutes of
Health because
of concerns about the dangers of genetic engineering and the
hazards of
releasing GM organisms into the environment. Dr Fagan is also
chief
scientific adviser to Genetic I.D., a company that provides
genetic testing
services to food, nutritional, and agricultural industries
throughout the
world. The tests Dr Fagan has devised are significantly more
sensitive than
any currently utilised by British authorities and can detect the
minutest
trace of any GMO.
Medical and agricultural applications of genetic
engineering
Dr Michael Antoniou, Senior Lecturer in Molecular Pathology and
head of a
research group at one of London's leading teaching hospitals,
explained the
difference between clinical and agricultural applications of
genetic
engineering. "Genetic engineering in medicine tries to
correct a genetic
defect that is either inherited, as in muscular dystrophy or
cystic
fibrosis, or acquired, as in cancer. Strict regulations quite
rightly demand
that the use of genetic modification (GM) in medicine does not
result in the
intentional release of viable GM organisms (GMOs) into the
environment," Dr
Antoniou said. "In marked contrast, the use of GM in
agriculture tries to
'repair' plants that have nothing inherently wrong with them. In
agriculture, GMOs are produced specifically for their intentional
release
into the environment.
"In medicine a new drug or therapy produced using GM must
undergo
pre-clinical and, more importantly, clinical trials to assess not
only
efficacy but also to detect any unexpected, undesirable
side-effects.
However, for GM food no tests with human volunteers are required
by law for
either toxicity or allergic reactions prior to marketing.
"Medicines are clearly labelled, and they are taken
voluntarily, and the
effects are carefully monitored. None of this applies to GM
foods. Under
current EU regulations most foods (90%) containing GMO-derived
ingredients
need not be labelled. The lack of effective segregation means the
public has
no choice as to whether to eat GM foods or not, and finally
post-release
monitoring is non-existent. Any problem that subsequently arises
would
therefore be virtually impossible to trace," he said.
Respecting natural boundaries
"If BSE has taught us anything it is that we should think
twice about using
a technology in a manner that violates well established natural
boundaries.
Nature works according to the principle of 'least action'
(maximum economy)
suggesting that everything exists for a purpose. Natural
boundaries or laws
can be seen as the means by which the evolutionary direction and
integrity
of life is maintained.
"We should not lull ourselves into a false sense of
security: we should not
think that by regulating something which is inherently
unpredictable and
uncontainable it automatically becomes safe," he said.
Dr Antoniou is the author/co-author of more than 50 publications
and is
biotechnology adviser to many organisations including the Soil
Association
and the Society for the Promotion of Nutritional Therapy.
A total ban
Dr Geoffrey Clements, leader of the British Natural Law Party and
a
physicist by training, emphasised that the scientific knowledge
behind the
so-called technology is totally inadequate to guarantee that the
GMOs now
being produced are free from hazards.
"It is like expecting a physicist trained under Newton to
operate a nuclear
reactor," Dr Clements said. "The actual methods
employed are intrinsically
dangerous and highly unnatural," he said, referring to the
fact that genetic
modification can involve pieces of DNA from scorpions, fish
viruses,
bacteria and other species being implanted in the DNA of cereals,
vegetables, fruits and animals.
"Contrary to the arguments being put forward, these are
mutations of the DNA
that could never occur in nature. They are being made to occur in
isolated
species over a time scale of one or two years. In nature,
evolution of the
DNA usually takes place over millions of years, in a natural
environment of
all species living together in balance.
"This means that we have no way at all of predicting any
adverse results
that may happen. When the methods of genetic modification are
understood -
that they involve pieces of virus and bacterial DNA, for example
- it is
clear that we are unleashing potential disaster for all life
forms.
"The only safe way forward is a total ban on all new GM
crops and foods, and
a recall of all crops and products already being grown and
prepared." The
Natural Law Party was the first political party to declare itself
opposed to
GM foods, and it is now actively campaigning on the issue in 80
countries.
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