Agriculture department moves to dispel GM food fear
July 8, 2004
Pretoria - The agriculture department sought yesterday to dispel fears about genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in South Africa.
All GMOs in the country had gone through a rigorous assessment process, taking into account human, animal and environmental safety factors, said Julian Jaftha, the department's director of genetic resources.
"All GMOs available have gone through the same process and we are confident that all concerns have been adequately addressed," he told the Agricultural Writers' Association.
"Not everything is just approved and put out there."
Jaftha described in detail how GMO licensing applications were processed, saying the emphasis was on access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food and the sustainable management of the country's natural agricultural resources.
The government believed biotechnology could play an important role in eliminating poverty and hunger but recognised the risks, he said.
The appraisal of each application involved an assessment of safety and the socio-economic impact, and the evaluation of submissions from the public and affected sectors of the economy.
There was also inspection and monitoring after an application had been approved.
Jaftha said 10 applications for trial releases - the planting of crops for trial rather than commercial purposes - were received between January and June.
One application had been lodged for the contained use of GMOs in a laboratory and another was for a commodity clearance using a GMO product for food and feed but not planting.
One application had since been withdrawn and none of the rest had been adjudicated on. Some of them were to be considered this week.
A departmental document said GMOs commercially available in South Africa by last year were insect-resistant maize and cotton, and herbicide-tolerant cotton, maize and soyabean.
GMO safety was the topic of a recent Pretoria high court application by environmental lobby group Biowatch.
It wanted to compel the government to divulge details of all GMOs brought into or manufactured in the country.
The body sought a court order directing the state to provide a list of facts concerning each permit, approval and authorisation granted for all GMO imports, exports, field trials and general releases. Judgment is expected early next month.
Jaftha said the department was obliged to provide certain safety information in any event, but some data were classified as trade secrets. Any party seeking information was free to lodge an application under the Promotion of Access to Information Act or the Administrative Justice Act.
Jaftha said the application had not yet been received regarding an objection by Grain SA to the intention of biotechnology company Monsanto to import genetically modified maize for human and animal consumption.
Once it was, the objection would be considered as part of the evaluation process.
Grain SA expressed concern on Tuesday that the maize could be used for domestic production.
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