ACRE Advice

ACRE's response to concerns raised in written representations and submissions associated with the CHARDON LL public hearing and to statements made at ACRE's open hearing relating to the safety assessment of T25 GM maize conducted under Directive 90/220/EEC

ACRE's Overall Advice on Concerns Raised During the CHARDON LL Public Hearing and During ACRE's Open Hearing

13 December 2002

ACRE has carefully considered the scientific points made in written representations and submissions for the CHARDON LL public hearing ⁷ and at ACRE's open hearing that are connected with the safety of T25 maize to human health and the environment. No evidence was presented to alter ACRE's previous risk assessment of T25 maize. The Committee is therefore satisfied that its advice given to government in 1996 is valid - that there is no evidence currently available indicating that T25 maize poses a greater risk to human health or to the environment than non-GM maize varieties.

ACRE asked the UK Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs (ACAF) to advise on the feed safety assessment for T25 maize. ACAF is content that that T25 maize grain and its products pose nomore risk as animal feed than non-GM maize varieties. Chemical analyses indicate that the composition of T25 maize is within the range expected for commercially grown, non-GM maize varieties. The difference is that T25 maize plants synthesise PAT protein. There is no evidence from its chemical composition, its biochemical properties nor from toxicity studies that the PAT protein confers increased allergenicity or toxicity on this GM maize line.

However, the data on the composition of T25 maize silage were limited and it was not possible for ACAF to be sure that the silage is compositionally equivalent to that of other maize varieties. Although the available data do indicate that T25 maize silage is the same as other maize and there is no reason to believe it is unsafe, ACRE agrees that its equivalence should be confirmed. Further information has been sought from Bayer CropScience ⁸ (the company that hold the consent to market T25 maize) to resolve this matter.

As yet, there has been no commercial planting of T25 maize in the UK. This is not because of concerns over the safety of this GM line. One reason is that there is uncertainty about the effects that altered herbicide usage associated with the widespread cultivation of T25 maize might have on farmland biodiversity. ACRE has been instrumental in drawing attention to the need to consider this issue and supports the view that the Farm Scale Evaluations are appropriately designed to tackle it. The Committee will offer scientific advice to ministers on the outcome of the evaluations once they have been completed and the results made available to ACRE. In addition, approval for the use of glufosinate ammonium herbicide on this GM maize is required and CHARDON LL must be added to the UK's National List before it can be grown commercially.

7 The CHARDON LL hearing was instigated under the Seeds (National Lists of Varieties) Regulations 1982.

8 The original T25 application dossier was submitted by AgrEvo who subsequently became Aventis CropScience and more recently, Bayer CropScience.