First European release of genetically modified rape

The UK Advisory Committee for Releases to the Environment (ACRE) on 19 April recommended the general sale and use of a genetically modified form of oil seed rape, which is also made resistant to the herbicide Basta. The oil seed rape variety is the first application granted in Europe for general release of a genetically modified crop plant, although the Secretary of State for the Environment has to confirm the recommendation, under the single market arrangements of EC Biotechnology Directives.
    According to the public information about the application, which is placed on the public register, the new genetically modified organism (GMO) contains a number of different genes taken from a plant of the cabbage family, four different bacteria, and the tobacco plant. The GMO is developed to overcome the problem of self fertilisation of oil seed rape: it is a hybrid cross of two different strains, which uses the introduced genes to produce much greater quantities of fertile seed than the parent varieties. The GMO also has a 'marker' gene which codes for resistance to the herbicide phosphinotricin, the active ingredient of Basta, marketed by Hoechst.
    ACRE is charged with assessing the risks on release of the GMO. The hazards identified(1) by the applicants, Plant Genetic Systems NV of Belgium, in their risk assessment and which they contended would be of negligible effect were:

• likelihood of the activity of the vector agent not being limited to the transformation procedure;

• the newly introduced traits might be unstable;

• the genetically modified plant might become invasive;

• the genetic modification might alter an existing interaction, or lead to a new interaction between the plant and the environment;

• the traits introduced might be transferred to a wild species.

ACRE accepted the risk assessment, although interestingly the result of the vote was made public—11 to one in favour. The dissenting voice was Julie Hill of the Green Alliance who was quoted afterwards as saying: “There are still uncertainties as to the degree that modified genes could become established in wild species and whether this would lead to increased competitiveness of those plants and contamination of the gene pool.”
    Many share the concerns that the transfer of genes from oil seed rape to weedy relatives is possible. Of equal concern is the use of herbicide resistance as a 'marker' gene. The risk assessment seems to have focused on the hazards of gene transfer; but the consequences of engineering herbicide resistant crops should also be considered.
    This is the subject of a new report by the US Union of Concerned Scientists(2). UCS aims to evaluate some of the proposed solutions to environmental and economic problems facing agriculture, and also to advocate practices that will promote long-term productivity and sustainability. It highlights risks that transgenic crops pose, and in particular the possibility of transgenic crops themselves becoming weeds.

1. Department of Environment: Marketing Application Ref 94/M1/1.
2. Perils Amidst the Promise: Ecological Risks of Transgenic Crops in a Global Market. June Rissler, Margaret Mellon, Union of Concerned Scientists (26 Church Street, Cambridge, MA 02238, US), 92pp.

[This article first appeared in Pesticides News No. 24, June 1994, page 20]