Amflora danger

The genetically modified potato risks reducing the efficacy of life-saving medicines.

When the European Commission authorised the GM potato Amflora earlier this month, it was applauded by Willy de Greef, the secretary-general of EuropaBio, the European association of biotechnology industries, as “an important step forward” (“A bright new future for agriculture?”, 11-17 March).

What he failed to mention is that Amflora carries a gene for antibiotic resistance. European legislation banning antibiotic-resistance genes that may pose a public health risk was created for good reason – such genes can find their way into the general environment and blunt the effectiveness of life-saving medicines.

The World Health Organisation and the European Medicines Agency have warned of the importance of the particular antibiotics at risk from this GM potato, which are used to treat serious illnesses, such as tuberculosis. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that Amflora was safe. But EFSA was split in its finding, failing to agree on the risks posed by Amflora because of concern over a lack of appropriate detection methods.

So, is the potato worth the risk? With non-GM varieties serving the same purpose just as well, the obvious answer is ‘No’. Why, then, has Amflora been created? To benefit the biotech industry, rather than consumers and farmers.

 

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Marco Contiero

EU agriculture policy director

Greenpeace

Brussels