LMOS and the Environment Proceedings of an International Conference

LMOS and the Environment Proceedings of an International Conference 2002 LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference LMOs and the Environment Proceedings of an International Conference 27-30 November 2001 Raleigh—Durham North Carolina United States of America Organized by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) In cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency Editor Craig R. Roseland United States Department of Agriculture APHIS, Policy and Program Development Riverdale, Maryland United States of America OECD 2, rue André Pascal F-75775 Paris Cedex 16 France ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: – to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and arising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; – to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and – to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, nondiscriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic (21st December 1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22nd November 1996), Korea (12th December 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14th December 2000). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference / Edited: Craig R. Roseland / Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ISBN 92–64–10171–3 1. Transgenic plants—risk assessment. 2. Agricultural biotechnology—Environmental aspects. 3. Plants—Disease and Pest Resistance. I. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Book and Cover Design: Dawn Ragione Photographer: Ken Hammond Manuscript Editor: Craig R. Roseland; APHIS staff Printing: Mailwell Print Group OECD Online Bookshop http://oecdpublications.gfi-nb.com/cgi-bin/oecdbookshop.storefront Printed in the Untied States of America LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference Acknowledgments The Proceedings I wish to thank several colleagues and fellow workers for their contributions towards the production of the Proceedings volume and the OECD’s LMOs and the Environment Conference. I thank Sally McCammon for her work to secure all the necessary support, including financial and administrative, to make this volume possible. Sally McCammon coordinated and organized the Conference, and chaired the Steering Committee that selected the topics and speakers. I acknowledge Dawn Ragione for her artistic contributions in the layout and production of the book. Without her enthusiastic and knowledgeable efforts, this book would not have been published. Also appreciated are Janet Wintermute, who engaged a copy editor to enforce uniformity in the content and format of the book and Kay Peterson, for her help in all phases of the book’s production. The photography of Ken Hammond and the photo support efforts of Anson Eaglin of the USDA, whose photos are found throughout the book, are excellent reminders of the work of the conference. Lastly, I thank each of the authors for their efforts in producing useful papers that have made both the Conference and the Proceedings a large success. Craig R. Roseland, Editor LMOS and the Environment. Proceedings of an International Conference vii The Conference I thank APHIS management, and among them, Kevin Shea especially, for their encouragement to hold the Conference and to publish the Proceedings from it. I also acknowledge the major contributions of the EPA, especially those of Elizabeth Milewski, Ina You and Denise Roush, who helped to bring about this Conference. I would also like to thank the USDA-APHIS and EPA for funding the Conference and providing for many speakers. A large number of people assisted with the arrangements before and during the meetings at the conference site, including Pat McQuillan, Tony Paris, Kathy Balderson, Betsy Randall-Schadel, Lauren Jones and Kay Peterson of the USDA, the technical specialists Dennis Trainum and Michael Hargett of USDA and Eric Haugh of the Sheraton Imperial, Peter Kearns, Rebecca Weiner, and Sally DeMarcellus of the OECD. I especially appreciate Ved Malik, who made the initial arrangements for the facility, the refreshments and meals. I thank Sam Taylor for arranging and securing funding for the welcoming reception event. Finally, I would like to thank Crop Life International, Syngenta Biotechnology, Vector Tobacco, Inc and Hutchison & Mason PLLC for their financial contributions. Sally L. McCammon, Chair OECD Steering Committee USDA APHIS Biotechnology Regulatory Services LMOs and the Environment: Proceedings of an International Conference Preface he Conference in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, LMOs and the Environment, was convened to discuss the science needed to assess the T effects of transgenic organisms in the environment. The OECD and its Steering Committee have organized this meeting as one of an ongoing series. The conveners appreciate their efforts as well as the financial backing of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A diverse group of speakers considered a range of topics, aiming to present policy issues, research findings, and the needs and international considerations that are relevant to risk assessment. These Proceedings reflect the breadth of topics presented in the Conference and include a few additional contributed papers that subsequently were developed by participants. A broad range of experience was represented in the Conference, including that of academics, researchers, government regulators or policy makers and staff from independent nonprofit agencies. The participants represent countries that currently engage in risk assessment, some for more than a decade, but also others that were invited whose representatives come from countries that have only recently begun this work. More than 200 people attended the Conference and were part of the discussions and deliberations. In the Rapporteur’s Report, the three authors have attempted to come to a consensus on the outcomes and conclusions to be drawn from the meeting, and I will not add my opinions to their worthy summary. Their work identified areas of agreement and disagreement about the practice and science of risk assessment. They presented opinions ix for how practices of assessment of risk could be improved, especially by promotion of increased research into gene flow issues and nontarget effects of transgenic plants. The conveners were pleased that these Proceedings received manuscripts deriving from some of the larger-scale, and multi-crop monitoring research efforts that were initiated to study the possible impacts of LMOs on sexually compatible plants and other organisms in the environment. These investigations are taking place in the United Kingdom and France. Such efforts may serve as a foundation for future research on additional crops for which evidence of environmental impact or benefits will be sought. Reports were also contributed on risk assessment for single crops, such as sugar beets and rice. Another report described how impacts of transgenic microorganisms on the soil environment have been monitored. These Proceedings contain descriptions of the risk assessment process made for specific crops, as well as presentations for how the process should be undertaken for any engineered crop. These papers, in some cases, supply useful direction for ongoing risk assessment, and in others, provide more theoretical considerations. Some of the papers offer suggestions on how to deal with controversial issues surrounding risk assessment, such as the role of uncertainty. Other papers provide a rationale for considering impacts on social and economic factors when risk assessments are conducted. One of the highlights of the meeting was the Session on Maize at the Center of Origin and Diversity. This session focused on the challenges confronting Mexico following the discovery of unauthorized maize (corn) varieties in areas of the country cultivating large Preface numbers of maize land races. Stakeholders raised numerous concerns following the discovery. I am pleased to present some important contributions by those closest to the issues, including representatives from agencies of the Government of Mexico, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) and a perspective from an environmentalist. Another paper outside this section showed how biological databases are used in Mexico to assess potential for gene flow. The diversity of opinions about farm impacts, necessary considerations for a crop at the center of origin, and the role

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