permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@bellsouth.net>]

------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Is the Hidden Viral Gene Safe? GMO Regulators Fail 
to Convince
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:56:53 -0500
From: J Latham <jrlatham@BIOSCIENCERESOURCE.ORG>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Published today (February 27th) in Independent Science News:
Is the Hidden Viral Gene Safe? GMO Regulators Fail to Convince
by Jonathan Latham and Allison Wilson
http://independentsciencenews.org/commentaries/gmo-regulators-hidden-viral-gene-vi-regulators-fail/

Synopsis: Following reports that a transgenic viral gene has been newly 
identified in many commercialized GM crops and foods (1), European and 
Antipodean GMO safety regulators (EFSA and FSANZ) have separately 
released statements aimed at reassuring the public. The presence of the 
viral gene (called Gene VI) and its safety implications were brought to 
public attention by an article published in Independent Science News 
(ISN). This article ("Regulators Discover a Hidden Viral Gene in GMO 
Crops" by scientists Jonathan Latham and Allison Wilson, 2013) described 
how GMO regulators failed to realise that the commonly used cauliflower 
mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter also encodes a substantial part of a 
viral gene. Based on what is currently known about Gene VI, and the 
likelihood of viral gene fragments being expressed in food crops, the 
article made the case that viral Gene VI presents a potential threat to 
crop health and human health.

Now, in a new article titled: "Is the Hidden Viral Gene Safe? GMO 
Regulators Fail to Convince", Latham and Wilson demonstrate that these 
public statements by EFSA and FSANZ are scientifically misleading and do 
not address the key agronomic and human safety concerns raised by Gene 
VI. The authors detail how regulators' statements rely on irrelevant and 
illogical arguments that in turn rest on scientifically unverified or 
unsupported assertions. EFSA and FSANZ additionally have failed to 
acknowledge that a second promoter, the figwort mosaic virus (FMV) 35S 
promoter, also has an overlapping Gene VI. This viral promoter (like 
that of CaMV) is currently also found in crops approved by EFSA, FSANZ, 
and in the US, and it poses similar risks.

Conclusion: The inability of regulators to offer cogent reassurances 
reaffirms that the threat of viral Gene VI is scientifically plausible.

(1) Podevin and du Jardin (2012) GM Crops and Food 3: 1-5

Please circulate this important article.

Jonathan Latham, PhD

Editor
Independent Science News

www.independentsciencenews.org
and
www.bioscienceresource.org

jrlatham@bioscienceresource.org
Skype: jonathanlatham2
Tel: 1-607-319-0279