Too risky to ‘experiment’ with transgenic mosquitoes here

The Star 3 Nov 10;

THE Consumers Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia are very disturbed by the Government’s approval for the release of genetically-modified (GM) mosquitoes for field testing.

The risk assessment and regulatory experience for GM insects worldwide is still immature. The World Health Organisation is only now developing guidelines for countries to use as the basis for developing their own regulations for the field testing and release of GM insects.

The approval process for the GM mosquitoes will set a precedent for all future field trials and release of genetically-modified organisms in the country.

If the National Biosafety Board and the Biosafety Department does not set the bar high for meaningful public feedback – detailed study of socio-economic and environmental impacts, solid science, risk assessment, risk management, transparency, liability and redress – it will mean a lack of scrutiny for other GM crops, food, feed and processing in the future.

We are against the release of GM organisms as there is still no scientific consensus on their safety and there are many uncertainties related to genetic engineering, making assessment of their risks difficult.

In fact, the International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development, endorsed by 58 governments, states: “The impacts of transgenic plants, animals and micro organisms are currently less understood. This situation calls for broad stakeholder participation in decision making as well as more public domain research on potential risks.”

Two court cases in the United States suggest that environmental oversight of genetically engineered crops is grossly insufficient. Likewise, we are concerned that there might be an oversight in the application for the release of GM mosquitoes in Malaysia.

However, as the pubic does not have access to the application dossier, it is impossible to assess whether all issues have been adequately and satisfactorily addressed by the applicant.

There is a dire need for a much wider public debate on the issue of GM mosquitoes than there has been to date, with further means of ensuring meaningful and effective public participation.

All information must be made available to the public, including the location of the specific release sites within Bentong and Alor Gajah districts, given the significance of the proposed experiments.

Malaysia, as a party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Convention on Biodiversity, must fulfil its obligations therein to ensure that activities related to these GM mosquitoes are undertaken in a manner that prevents or reduces the risks to biological diversity, taking also into account risks to human health.

Malaysia’s field release experiment is also coming under intense international scrutiny, as this is one of the first such releases of GM mosquitoes in the world.

As there are doubts about the safety of these GM mosquitoes, the precautionary principle must apply. In our view this is best met by the Government withdrawing the approval and not to release the GM mosquitoes in the light of public health and environmental concerns.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS,

President,

Consumers’ Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia.