Is it time for Europe to embrace genetically modified food to compete with cheap GM food imported from outside the EU or remain in the past with quaint ideals of what is natural to placate the anti-GM political lobby?
It’s over twenty years since the first genetically modified organism (GMO) was released for commercial use. Calgene (now part of the Monsanto Company) released the Flavr Savr “flavor saver” genetically modified tomato after two years of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety tests.
GM Food is Safe
Genetically Modified Food 20 Years of Research
The Flavr Savr tomato plant has a relatively minor genetic modification which slows ripening without impacting color or taste resulting in a tomato with a longer shelf life. Although the first GM crop was a commercial flop it was the first step to the US dominating the genetically modified food market. Whilst in Europe anti-GM food campaigners lobbied for and received economically damaging food health checks to slow progress.
Genetically Modified Tomatoes
Despite 20+ years of GM research indicating GM foods are as safe as their non-modified counterparts, the European Union under intense political pressure from the anti-GM lobby had all but placed a moratorium on the testing of GM foods, whilst the US steams ahead with GM research.
Politics vs Science
In October 2014, twenty-one of Europe’s leading plant scientists wrote an open letter (http://www.umu.se/digitalAssets/151/151955_open-letter-to-decision-makers-in-europe.pdf also posted as a comment below) urging Europe to allow plant scientists to perform field experiments on genetically modified organisms and to allow faster authorization of genetically modified plant varieties that have met the strict EFSA safety rules to meet Europe’s Horizon 2020 goals of removing obstacles to scientific innovation.
27 of the “30 most cited authors in plant science” in Europe (http://www.labtimes.org/labtimes/ranking/2013_04/index2.lasso) hold at present a position at a publicly funded research organization in Europe, and 21 out of the 27 have signed this letter. We work on various aspects of plant science, for example systematics, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, ecophysiology, ecology, pathology, biodiversity and effects of climate change. It is possible to perform good curiosity-driven plant science in Europe and we acknowledge our support from various funding bodies, in many respects plant science in Europe is doing well.
With the European Union on the verge of another economic downward spiral, could GM crops be part of the long term economic revival of Europe’s faltering economy or will the open letter by some of the most respected European plant scientist fall on deaf political ears?
Open letter to decision makers in Europe
We all depend on plants for providing us with food, building material, textiles, medicine and fuel. Among the greatest challenges facing mankind are the provision of healthy and nutritious food, feed and fuel to a burgeoning population using agricultural and forestry practices that are environmentally and economically sustainable. Thanks to basic research on plants, we now understand well how plants grow, how they protect themselves against disease and environmental stress, and what factors limit production in agriculture and forestry.
Europe has a strong history of plant science. Robert Hooke introduced the concept of the “cell” in the 17th century after looking at cork slivers in his microscope. Carl Linnaeus developed systematics after his studies of plants and Gregor Mendel deciphered the laws of genetics after meticulous counting of plants in his monastery garden in Brno. Plant scientists discovered chromosomes, enzymes and viruses, and Charles Darwin spent a large part of his scientific career as a plant biologist; “The origin of species” starts “When we look to the individuals of the same variety or sub-variety of our older cultivated plants and animals…”. Curiosity-driven plant research has been important both to deepen our understanding of nature and take benefit of it, still we lack basic understanding of many complex phenomena in plants.
27 of the “30 most cited authors in plant science” in Europe (https://www.labtimes.org/labtimes/ranking/2013_04/index2.lasso) hold at present a position at a publicly funded research organization in Europe, and 21 out of the 27 have signed this letter. We work on various aspects of plant science, for example systematics, physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, ecophysiology, ecology, pathology, biodiversity and effects of climate change. It is possible to perform good curiosity-driven plant science in Europe and we acknowledge our support from various funding bodies, in many respects plant science in Europe is doing well.
However, well is not good enough. Plant science has arguably contributed more to the reduction of human suffering than biomedical research, yet compared with the latter it is hugely underfunded worldwide. Norman Borlaug’s dwarf and rust-resistant varieties of wheat saved many millions from hunger. Basic science performed in Europe is also an efficient way of supporting applied research in poorer countries. We are concerned that Europe will have serious problems in reaching its ambitions of Horizon 2020: to “tackle societal challenges” and “to ensure Europe produces world-class science, removes barriers to innovation and makes it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation” and see three outstanding issues for decision makers to address.
First, to provide solutions to the societal challenges outlined in Horizon 2020 funding for fundamental and applied plant science should be maintained or, if possible, be increased. Most importantly, serious challenges are not adequately addressed, such as developing plants resilient to climate change, preventing loss of crop biodiversity, and creating an agriculture that avoids unsustainable demands for water, energy, fertilizers and pesticides. These tasks must be addressed in forthcoming Horizon 2020 calls.
Secondly, plant scientists must be able to perform field experiments. Many of us work with genetically modified plants as research tools, for example to understand how native plants and crops protect themselves against pests and will react to climate change. However, in most European countries permits to perform field experiments with transgenic plants are blocked, not on scientific but on political grounds. In countries that do permit field experiments, these are often systematically vandalized, causing huge scientific and financial losses. Some of us have even been threatened and had private property vandalized. This is a serious threat to science, to publicly funded research, and to European society itself. European authorities must ensure that approved and safe field experiments with transgenic plants are made possible. Vandals must be prosecuted and held accountable for scientific and financial damage.
Thirdly, the European society must allow prompt authorization of genetically modified plant varieties that have been approved and found safe by the competent authority (EFSA) following a thorough science-based risk evaluation. This is essential to meet the Horizon 2020 goal of removing barriers to innovation and making it easier for the public and private sectors to work together in delivering innovation. The de facto moratorium on transgenic plant approvals has been detrimental for applied plant science and has effectively eliminated possibilities for publicly funded scientists and small companies to address the big challenges for society. The resulting reduced competition has enhanced the dominance of the major seed and agrochemical corporations. We believe that a fundamental revision of GM regulation is needed that strictly follows principles of a science-based evaluations and approvals, based on evaluation of the trait, rather than the method by which it is achieved.
Our scientific credibility comes from our work on basic plant science. Some of us also apply our knowledge to improving plants for the human society, but the reason that we make this statement is not commercial interests or hope of attracting more funding for our own research. Instead, we are seriously concerned that lack of adequate funding and safe infrastructures will relegate European basic and applied plant science to a second tier status. If plant scientists cannot apply their knowledge for the benefit of society, Europe will be unable to lead in global efforts to build a sustainable agricultural system and plant-based bio-economy. The most pressing global problems – how do deal with environmental change and secure food supply for all – arguably will only be solved with a massively increased worldwide investment in plant research.
Ian T. Baldwin, Director, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
Member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Member of the Berlin Brandenburgische Academy of Sciences
David C. Baul combe, Regius Professor of Botany and Royal Society Research Professor, Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
Member of Academia Europaea
Foreign Associate Member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Foreign Associate Member of the National Academy of Sciences India
Fellow of the Royal Society
Member of EMBO
Recipient of Wolf Prize for Agriculture
Recipient of Balzan Prize (Epigenetics)
Recipient of Lasker Prize for Basic Biomedical Science
Recipient of Gruber Prize for Genetics
Nina Buchmann, Professor of Grassland Sciences, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Switzerland
Founding member of the Young Academy of Sciences
Former member of the German Advisory Council for the Government on Global Change (WBGU)
Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Öko-Institut e.V
Chair of the World Food System Center (WFSC) at ETH
Mark W. Chase, Keeper of the Jodrell Lab, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
Fellow of the Royal Society
Recipient of Veitch Memorial Medal by the Royal Horticultural Society (UK
Alisdair R. Fernie, Research group leader, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany.
Recipient of the Society of Experimental Biology medal (Plants)
Recipient of the Phytochemical Society of Europe Prize
Christine H. Foyer, Professor of Plant Sciences and Director of Africa College, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
Winthrop Professor, The University of Western Australia, Australia
Pao Yu – Kong Chair Professor, Zhejiang University, China;
Recipient of Redox Pioneer award
Recipient if the Founders Award (American Society of Plant Physiologists).
Jiri Friml, Professor, Institute of Science and Technology (IST), Austria, Klosterneuburg, Austria
Member of EMBO
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Recipient of Otto Hahn Medal
Recipient of VolkswagenStiftung Award
Recipient of Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize
Recipient of Odysseus Award
Recipient of Olchemim Scientific Award
Recipient of Körber European Science Award
Recipient of EMBO Gold Medal
Jonathan Gershenzon, Director, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
Wilhelm Gruissem, Professor, Department if Plant Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
Fellow and Corresponding Member, American Society of Plant Biologists
Recipient of the Anniversary Prize of the Fiat Panis Foundation
Recipient of the Shang Fa Yang Award of Academia Sinica
Former President of the European Plant Science Organization
Chair of the Global Plant Council
Dirk Inzé, Director, Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Ghent University, Belgium
Member of Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts
Member of EMBO
Recipient of the Körber Stiftung Prize
Recipient of the Francqui Prize
Recipient of the Five-yearly FWO-Excellence Prize:
Recipient of the Dr A. De Leeuw-Damry-Bourlart in Exact Sciences Prize
Chairperson of the Life Sciences, Environmental Sciences and Geosciences (LEGS)
Committee of Science Europe
Stefan Jansson, Professor in Plant Cell and Molecular Biology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Sweden.
Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Recipient of Roséns Linneus Prize
Jonathan D. G. Jones, Professor, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, United Kingdom
Fellow of the Royal Society
Member of EMBO
Joachim Kopka, Research group leader.
Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Potsdam, Germany
Thomas Moritz, Professor, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC) Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Director Swedish Metabolomics Centre
Corné M. J. Pieterse, Director, Institute of Environmental Biology, Utrecht University
Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Stephane Rombauts, Principal scientific staff, Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Ghent University, Belgium
Ben Scheres, Professor in Plant Developmental Biology, Wagenignen University, Netherlands
Member of the Dutch Royal Acadamy of Arts and Sciences
Recipient of Siron Pelton Award USA
Recipient of SPINOZA award
Bernhard Schmid, Professor of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies , University of Zürich, Switzerland
Dean of the Faculty of Science
Mark Stitt, Prof Dr. Dr, h.c. Director, Max Planck Institute for Molecular PlantPhysiology, Potsdam, Germany
Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Honarary Doctor of Umeå University
Recipient of the Presidents medal, Society of Experimental Biology
Yves Van de Peer , Professor in bioinformatics and genome biology, Ghent University, Belgium
Group leader, Plant Systems Biology, Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Belgium Professor, Genomics research institute, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Member of Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts
Detlef Weigel, Director, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
Foreign Member of the Royal Society
Member of the US National Academy of Sciences
Member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Corresponding Member of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Recipient of State Research Prize of Baden-Württemberg
Recipient of Otto Bayer Award
Recipient of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award