Cattle-Feeding Trial Results Have Gone Missing

STEVE DUBE / The Western Mail (UK) 9mar04

Country & Farming
steve.dube@wme.co.uk

The results of the only GM maize cattle feeding trial to have taken place in the UK have gone missing.

The trial took place at Reading University in 2001-2, when quantities of GM fodder maize were taken from selected sites involved in Farm Scale Evaluations and fed to diary cattle.

The existence of the trials came from Prof Richard Phipps of Reading University in evidence on behalf of the seed company Bayer to the Acre hearing into T25 maize in February, 2002. Prof Phipps told MPs that the study was complete and being written up for publication in a peer reviewed journal.

GM-Free Cymru spokesman Brian John said there have been constant demands for a cattle feed study designed to establish whether GM fodder maize really is harmless to ruminants.

The only study of its kind involved broiler chickens and those fed on GM maize had a mortality rate twice as high as that of the control group.

Lack of scientific data on the safety of GM maize was highlighted recently in Hesse, Germany, with the deaths of 12 cattle among animals fed on Syngenta Bt-176 fodder maize. Syngenta paid compensation to the farmer-in effect admitting liability.

Dr John said the group has written to Secretary of State Margaret Beckett, and to Defra and Acre seeking information about animal trials but have had no replies.

Ceredigion MP Simon Thomas put down a Parliamentary Question on the issue and has received no response.

"We are now quite convinced that these cattle feeding studies have thrown up something very unpleasant", said Dr John.

"Bayer is in possession of the report from the researchers but as far as we can ascertain they have not submitted it to any of the regulatory authorities.

" Until this mysterious study is reported and analysed, the precautionary principle has to be employed and it has to be assumed that T25 is not actually safe for consumption"

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