Our Approach
The Genetically Modified Organisms Information Center – InfOMG supports and promotes the application of the precautionary principle to prevent environmental disasters with profound social and economic implications, before they have produced any effects.
InfOMG opposes GMO release into the environment because of the following reasons:
• Patents on life. One of the consequences of using GMO seeds is loosing the right to reuse them in the following season. This is due to GMO registered patents. Practically, these patents lead farmers to a total dependence on GMO producing companies, and to the concentration of food sources in the hands of just a few multinational companies. Each year, the farmer will have to buy the seeds from these companies. If the farmer doesn't respect the patent regulation, he will pay substantial fines and compensations, on the basis of the intellectual property law. More than that, for farmers whose crops were contaminated by a neighboring culture of genetically modified plants, there is no legislation to protect him from the aggressive corporate tactics of the companies which own the patents for those plants. The intellectual property rights of the companies prevail in front of the farmers rights, whether the farmer wanted GM crops in their fields or not.
• Environmental Risks: Once released into the environment, either as commercial or testcrops, the genetically modified plants cannot be controlled because they interact freely with the entire ecosystem. The surrounding organic or conventional crops could be contaminated by wind or insect pollination. The entire biodiversity could suffer because of the insect and herbicide resistant GMOs. The insects which naturally feed with the plant pests suffer and even die if they consume these GMO pests. This is the case of the ladybugs which consume leaf lice. Weeds resistant to non-selective herbicides are already emerging. GMOs can reproduce and cross with the organisms from the natural environment, thus resulting in new organisms, in an uncontrolled and unpredictable way. When these GMOs were first released not much was known about their impact on human health and the environment. All these conclusions were drawn later. We cannot wait for more drastic events to produce before banning GMOs until they are 100% environmentally safe.
• Risks on human health: The most recent studies show that GM products affect the health of the mammals. The MON863 genetically modified corn of the Monsanto company approved for consumption in the EU market caused serious liver and kidney deformations in the guinea pigs which consumed this GM product during a scientific study. The study was made by the french researcher Gilles Eric Serralini and was published in march 2007. Another GM corn of the Monsanto company, named NK603, already approved for consumption in the EU, was analyzed by the french scientific institute CRIIGEN. The results of the study show that the guinea pigs fed with this corn suffered kidney, liver, brain and heart modification and they presented significant weight differences. Several other mammal health assessment studies show similar results.
• Lack of transparency: In Romania, the communications from the authorities regarding GMOs are almost nonexistent or there are formulated in an extremely complicated way, inaccessible to the public. Also, in many cases, the authorities send incomplete answers to the public interest information requests, or they don’t recognize their responsibility in this field. The www.biosafety.ro website (paid for with public money) meant to assure the transparency in the GMO field is a total failure.
• Lack of GMO labeling: Though national legislation and European Directives request a labeling of the GMO products, in Romania there aren’t any labeled GMO products. By not applying this specific legislation they violate the right of consumers to choose products that are not genetically modified, by not allowing them to identify them on the market.
• Genetically Modified Organisms will not save the world from hunger. World hunger is a phenomenon caused by inefficient food distribution and poverty, the inability to buy food. For example, in the EU, agricultural production restrictions are imposed, which means that more can be produced, but the EU wishes to avoid overproduction. Also, in conventional agriculture there are crops with bigger production rates than GM crops.
• Resources consumed unnecessarily to produce genetically modified organisms. To produce GMOs in Romania, a considerably large amount of public money is consumed to maintain several offices and authorities which have responsibilities in controlling and authorizing GMOs.
• There isn’t any real long term environmental and health risk assessment study. In Romania, studies have not been conducted to evaluate the effects of GMOs on mammals and biodiversity.
• There is no strategy for a major environmental disaster.
• Patents on life. One of the consequences of using GMO seeds is loosing the right to reuse them in the following season. This is due to GMO registered patents. Practically, these patents lead farmers to a total dependence on GMO producing companies, and to the concentration of food sources in the hands of just a few multinational companies. Each year, the farmer will have to buy the seeds from these companies. If the farmer doesn't respect the patent regulation, he will pay substantial fines and compensations, on the basis of the intellectual property law. More than that, for farmers whose crops were contaminated by a neighboring culture of genetically modified plants, there is no legislation to protect him from the aggressive corporate tactics of the companies which own the patents for those plants. The intellectual property rights of the companies prevail in front of the farmers rights, whether the farmer wanted GM crops in their fields or not.
• Environmental Risks: Once released into the environment, either as commercial or testcrops, the genetically modified plants cannot be controlled because they interact freely with the entire ecosystem. The surrounding organic or conventional crops could be contaminated by wind or insect pollination. The entire biodiversity could suffer because of the insect and herbicide resistant GMOs. The insects which naturally feed with the plant pests suffer and even die if they consume these GMO pests. This is the case of the ladybugs which consume leaf lice. Weeds resistant to non-selective herbicides are already emerging. GMOs can reproduce and cross with the organisms from the natural environment, thus resulting in new organisms, in an uncontrolled and unpredictable way. When these GMOs were first released not much was known about their impact on human health and the environment. All these conclusions were drawn later. We cannot wait for more drastic events to produce before banning GMOs until they are 100% environmentally safe.
• Risks on human health: The most recent studies show that GM products affect the health of the mammals. The MON863 genetically modified corn of the Monsanto company approved for consumption in the EU market caused serious liver and kidney deformations in the guinea pigs which consumed this GM product during a scientific study. The study was made by the french researcher Gilles Eric Serralini and was published in march 2007. Another GM corn of the Monsanto company, named NK603, already approved for consumption in the EU, was analyzed by the french scientific institute CRIIGEN. The results of the study show that the guinea pigs fed with this corn suffered kidney, liver, brain and heart modification and they presented significant weight differences. Several other mammal health assessment studies show similar results.
• Lack of transparency: In Romania, the communications from the authorities regarding GMOs are almost nonexistent or there are formulated in an extremely complicated way, inaccessible to the public. Also, in many cases, the authorities send incomplete answers to the public interest information requests, or they don’t recognize their responsibility in this field. The www.biosafety.ro website (paid for with public money) meant to assure the transparency in the GMO field is a total failure.
• Lack of GMO labeling: Though national legislation and European Directives request a labeling of the GMO products, in Romania there aren’t any labeled GMO products. By not applying this specific legislation they violate the right of consumers to choose products that are not genetically modified, by not allowing them to identify them on the market.
• Genetically Modified Organisms will not save the world from hunger. World hunger is a phenomenon caused by inefficient food distribution and poverty, the inability to buy food. For example, in the EU, agricultural production restrictions are imposed, which means that more can be produced, but the EU wishes to avoid overproduction. Also, in conventional agriculture there are crops with bigger production rates than GM crops.
• Resources consumed unnecessarily to produce genetically modified organisms. To produce GMOs in Romania, a considerably large amount of public money is consumed to maintain several offices and authorities which have responsibilities in controlling and authorizing GMOs.
• There isn’t any real long term environmental and health risk assessment study. In Romania, studies have not been conducted to evaluate the effects of GMOs on mammals and biodiversity.
• There is no strategy for a major environmental disaster.
InfOMG is not against research done in laboratories or isolated environments in safe conditions. Science and research are essential in the development of human society, but the large scale use of genetic engineering poses serious risks and demands for a precautionary approach. We have the responsability of leaving a healthy environment to future generations.
Safety is a result achieved through accumulated experience. Being a new tehnology, GMOs have not been sufficiently assessed and therefore we cannot conclude that they are safe, (the first GMO plant was cultivated in 1995 in the USA). In Romania there hasn't been a real public debate on GMOs. Also in Europe the public debate is still continuing.
Safety is a result achieved through accumulated experience. Being a new tehnology, GMOs have not been sufficiently assessed and therefore we cannot conclude that they are safe, (the first GMO plant was cultivated in 1995 in the USA). In Romania there hasn't been a real public debate on GMOs. Also in Europe the public debate is still continuing.
