December 10, 2015

 

Philippines' GM crop cultivation stalls

 

By Rick Alberto

 

 

The Philippine Supreme Court (SC) has dealt a big blow on the country's stature as a leader in the field of biotech research with a ruling that temporarily halts future applications for field testing, propagation and commercialisation, and importation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) until new rules are promulgated "in accordance with law".

 

On Tuesday, Dec. 8, the SC also affirmed a lower court's order permanently banning field trials for the genetically modified Bt eggplant, potentially encouraging anti-GMO activists to go to court once again to petition the banning of Bt corn cultivation. The SC likewise invalidated the Department of Agriculture's rules for the importation and release into the environment of plants and plant products derived from the use of modern biotechnology that have been in force for the past 13 years, saying it does not meet the minimum requirements for safety under the National Biosafety Framework (NBF).

 

For the past 12 years, the Philippines has successfully cultivated and commercialised Bt corn, earning for itself the rank of 12th-largest country in area planted to GM corn. It has also become a model in biotech corn production for other Southeast Asian countries and a leader in biotech research and commercialisation.

 

The new high court ruling, however, dents the Philippines' reputation and may adversely affect its Bt corn cultivation in the long run. Early on, the Biotechnology Coalition of the Philippines (BCP) feared that the planting of Bt corn would be totally banned if the field-testing of Bt eggplant would be permanently banned since both use virtually the same technology which involves the insertion of a gene from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to produce a protein that gives them protection from pests.

 

No health, environmental issues

 

In its ruling, the SC overlooked the fact that the Bt technology used in the eggplant has been used in the Bt corn crop being propagated in the country and that so far there has been no issue raised pertaining to health and environment which it was concerned about, as it said existing regulations were insufficient to guarantee the safety of the environment and the health of the people.

 

The high court said that "current scientific research indicates that the biotech industry has not sufficiently addressed the uncertainties over the safety of genetically modified foods and crops," but it missed the fact that most of GM corns produced in the Philippines are used in the manufacture of feeds for animals that it slaughters and consumes. The Philippines also imports US GM or GM-derived food and agricultural exports, which in 2012 were valued at over US$1.5 billion.

 

The high court also said that the petitioners which sought a reversal of the appellate court ruling—including the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, Environmental Management Bureau, University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, UP Mindanao Foundation and CropLife Philippines—ignored the NBF mandate on a more transparent, meaningful and participatory public consultation.

 

But the SC ignored the recognition that the world has accorded on the Philippine regulations governing biotech crops for its being science-based, thorough and transparent. A 2013 US Department of Agriculture annual report on the Philippine biotechnology stated that the Philippines was a model for GE (genetically engineered) regulatory policy for other developing countries. "To ensure human, food, feed, and environmental safety, the regulatory regime requires that risk assessments be conducted in accordance with internationally accepted bodies such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, Codex Alimentarius Commission, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the Food and Agriculture Organization", it said. 

 

The Philippine Supreme Court decision clearly is a backward step that, instead of advancing food and feed research, takes it to the gutter.