MON810

"Summarising the study, the maize with the stacked event NK603 x MON810 affected
the reproduction of mice in the RACB trial." - that is the conclusion of a study conducted by Austrian scientiest, commissioned by the Austrian ministries for agircultere and environement and for health.
On more then 100 pages the authors give details of their long-term study over 4 generations of mice. In addition to reproduction rates and organ weights, the authors also looked at the way genes were expressed differently depending on GM and non-GM diet: "In total 439 genes were found to be expressed differentially." (For details of the results and discussion see the full report.)
The reaction from Monsanto on a press release on the study was predictable: First of all Monsanto wanted to see the full study before commenting. Fair enough. But secondly, Monsanto already criticized the study as not peer-reviewed. True - but then again: Monsanto's own studies that were used as basis for the approval of their GM crops are not peer-reviewed either. So would Monsanto consider their own studies as not valid either.
The study of the Austrian scientists also draw attention to the criteria the EFSA applies for its risk assessment of GM crops. In October 2005, EFSA gave a positive opinion for NK603xMON810 for use as food & feed.

A new study from the GenOk Centre for Biosafety in Tromso show a reduced fitness of Daphnia magna fed on Bt maize MON810. Daphnias fed on MON810 had a higher mortality rate, less females reached sexual maturation, and the overall egg production was lower compared to D. magna fed isogenic maize. Since this reduced fitness after feeding on Bt maize coincided with an earlier onset of reproduction, the scientists concluded a toxic effect rather than a lower nutritional value of the GM-maize.
After adverse effects of Bt maize on caddis flies last year, this is no the second study showing possible adverse effects of Bt maize on aquatic organisms. Meanwhile the environmental risk assessment of GM crops in the EU does not include aquatic ecosystems.
Bøhn T, Primicerio R, Hessen DO & Traavik T (2008): Reduced Fitness of Daphnia magna Fed a Bt-Transgenic Maize Variety. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, DOI 10.1007/s00244-008-9150-5.

The report presented here shows the many ways Bt maize impacts the environment. Even after more then a decade of commercial growing of Bt maize crops, the risk assessment studies are still few and most of them tend to raise more open questions than solving concerns.

An in-depth research into who is who in the German competent authorities for the assessment and approval of GM crops, should that many of those involved play a number of roles in different networks. Some of the scientists in the approval authorities and the national research institutes giving advices to the authorities are also member of lobby organisations and/or are involved with the biotech industry.

Who thought that it would be the easiest to ban GM maize, where it's not grown anyway, now luckily can admit that they were wrong: Romenia - the biggest maize producer in the EU - just decided to ban the cultivation of MON810. Reasons are not primarily the financial an ecological costs of Monsanto's crop, but the understanding that more money could be earned by growing organic maize.

German authorities stopped the sales of Monsanto's GM maize MON810 till Monsanto submits a new monitoring plan for environmental effects because of new scientific knowledge that MON810 has bigger adverse effects on the environment then expected.
However, because the decision was only taken shortly after the maize sowings, the cultivation of MON810 maize will probably not affected this year. Nevertheless, the decision is important for the further assessment of MON810 in the EU. (Notification in German and English)

Some more details on recent findings on the EFSA opinions about the MON863 hybrids MON863xMON810, MON863xNK603 and MON863xMON810xNK603 (EFSA 2005):