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RESEARCH PRODUCT

A multisite-cooperative research programme on risk assessment of transgenic crops

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Genetically modified plants are now being commercialised in several countries as regulatory authorities consider that the balance of risk versus benefit is beneficial. However, numerous questions remain unanswered, especially the impact of these plants when used over large areas and under a range of variable environmental conditions. Some issues need to be re-evaluated [1, 2]. Risk/safety analysis, as well as prospects of transgenic crops depend on the scale which is to be considered. Extrapolation of methods, and laboratory and greenhouse results, to large-scale farmers’ fields, may provide useful preliminary data, but is not a sound approach to the study of the consequences of the commercial release of transgenic crops. Risk/safety analysis involves hazard identification and risk assessment. Hazards are scale-dependent and need to be tested on an appropriate scale. Change to a region’s flora, for instance, is not a matter for a greenhouse test, but must be studied at the regional level. Risks associated with identified hazards depend on local conditions, e.g. non-proportionality of pollen spread with source size, regional variation of crop management practices, interaction between crops, genotype variability of populations of wild relatives, etc. A main concern is to estimate the value of predictability for agriculture and environment of results collected on different scales. In order to answer this question, several institutes (Association Generale des Producteurs de Mais AGPM, Centre Technique Interprofessionnel des Oleagineux Metropolitains CETIOM, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique INRA, Institut Technique de la Betterave ITB, Institut Technique des Cerelaes et des Fourrages ITCF), seed producers (KWS, Novartis) and agrochemical companies (Agrevo, Monsanto, Rhone-Poulenc) jointly designed an experiment on an agricultural scale. This was a multisite testing of several gene constructs with different crops rotating in farmers’ fields over several years, representing a true field situation.