Brussels, 04/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - Are there ways of properly measuring the environmental and economic impact of genetically-modified crops (GMOs)? This is the question underlying a new EU project called AMIGA (Assessing and Monitoring the Impacts of Genetically-modified plants on Agro-ecosystems) co-financed by the European Union under the seventh Framework Programme for R&D.
AMIGA was launched in December 2011 to provide scientifically reliable data to establish a risk assessment programme for GMOs, drawing up a list of bio-indicators in various regions of Europe. The idea is to identify the most suitable instruments for the guidelines of the European Food Safety Authority and see whether indicators, like the butterfly used by the US authorities, are reliable across all the different farm ecosystems in Europe. As Dr Messean, one of the AMIGA coordinators, explains, the butterfly is a perfect illustration of the problem and risks of using a single indicator because butterflies are very sensitive to a range of factors, which can be difficult to determine and which can vary depending on the climate and habitat of a particular region.
The main utility of such indicators is as an early warning system about long-term risks. Sites are being monitored in Spain, Slovakia and Romania, where genetically-modified potatoes are grown on a huge scale. Sites in Denmark and Sweden will be monitored in 2013, including sites where no GMOs are grown. The surveillance will be on two levels, namely special monitoring to determine typical risks and general monitoring of unexpected dangers to the environment. Studies will be carried out by a British university over the next few years of the economic consequences, comparing and contrasting the profits made by farms using genetically-modified produce and those not using GMOs. (JK/transl.fl)