GE Free New Zealand in Food &
Environment, 22nd December 2003
Seminis- GE onion Partner- Blamed for Contaminating Tomatoes
The Company backing the new GE onion trial in New Zealand -Seminis- has
been identified as the source of GE-contaminated tomato seeds that has
just been revealed in the US.
A report from the University of California says Seminis supplied contaminated seed to a number of institutions over the last seven years.
The report says that seeds thought to be GM-free were contaminated and
sold on. To what degree these mislabeled seeds were further amplified and
may have contaminated commercial varieties in the U.S. or in other countries remains unknown.
"The involvement of this company in New Zealand further undermines public
confidence that regulators know what they are doing in approving their
experiments here," says Jon Carapiet from GE Free NZ in food and environment.
ERMA has already been asked to reassess the decision because of new evidence from the US that these particular GE crops increase use of sprays
rather than reduce sprays.
ERMA should now also reconsider the financial viability of Seminis, and
their suitability as a partner. The risks to New Zealand if the company
goes bankrupt has recently shown with the PPL GE sheep costing thousands
to be destroyed, despite the potential research- value of samples from the
animals.
Jon Carapiet 09 815 3370
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from the University of California at Davis site
http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=6833.
Tomato Seed from Seed Bank Found to be Genetically Modified
December 18, 2003 -- The University of California, Davis, is recalling
about 30 tomato seed samples, distributed during the past seven years to
research colleagues in the United States and abroad, after recent tests
showed that the seed was not the intended variety, but rather a very
similar variety developed through biotechnology.
The seed contains a commercially approved biotech trait, referred to as
the PG trait. That trait, which improves the thickness of tomato paste,
had been approved in 1994 for use in human food. A similar tomato variety
with the PG trait had previously been planted commercially in California,
and tomato paste with the trait had been sold to consumers, primarily in
the United Kingdom.
The Seed and Its Distribution
Since 1996, small quantities of seed of the processing-tomato variety
known as UC-82B were provided, upon request, by UC Davis to researchers at
12 institutions in the United States and to researchers in 14 other countries. Each sample included about 25 seeds to be used in research
projects at those institutions. Two samples were also sent abroad for
demonstration gardens in England and Ethiopia. UC Davis and the recipients were unaware that these particular UC-82B seeds carried the PG
trait.
UC Davis officials have determined that the seeds carrying the PG trait
originated from a 20-gram seed sample donated to UC Davis in 1996 by
Petoseed Company, which has since been acquired by Seminis Vegetable
Seeds. It is unclear when or where the seeds were mislabeled.
The seed mix-up came to light when the Charles M. Rick Tomato Genetics
Resource Center at UC Davis sent samples of what was thought to be unmodified UC-82B to the UC Davis Plant Transformation Facility. This
research service unit genetically modifies small numbers of plants for use
in campus research projects. In working with the seeds, staff scientists
detected the unexpected presence of a commonly used "marker" gene, NPT II,
and notified the Rick center. The protein derived from the NPT II gene has
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a food additive.
Subsequent testing also revealed the presence of the PG gene.
A similar tomato variety with the same combination of PG gene and NPT II
was commercialized in 1996 through a collaboration between Petoseed Company and Zeneca Plant Science. That variety was approved for food and
tomato production in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994
and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1995. It also was approved for
food consumption by the government of the United Kingdom in 1995 and in
Canada by Health Canada in 1996. That variety also passed scientific
review in the European Union. It was grown commercially in California and
sold as tomato paste product in the United Kingdom between 1996 and 1999.
Response by UC Davis and Seminis
Upon learning of the apparent mix-up, the Rick tomato center curator
reviewed records and found that the UC-82B seed had been obtained in 1996
from Petoseed. Although that seed variety had been developed in 1976 by a
UC Davis plant breeder, the campus supply had run low and Petoseed had
replenished it.
"We immediately tested our seed and informed both Seminis and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture," said Neal Van Alfen, dean of UC Davis' College
of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. "DNA sequencing conducted at
UC Davis has confirmed the presence of the PG trait.
"We have notified the individuals or research units that received the
seed," Van Alfen added. "We are asking the recipients to let us know how
they used or disposed of the seed, and to send any seeds remaining from
the original sample to an independent laboratory for DNA testing."
Ed Green, senior vice president of research and development at
Seminis, said: "We will continue to work closely with the university to determine
how this error occurred. We have offered the full analytical resources of
Seminis and have made our records available to university officials.
"While current regulatory controls and technological advances would make
this type of mix-up highly unlikely today, we also feel it's prudent to
review our seed handling, storage and sharing protocols to look for improvements, " Green said.
Green added that only a small fraction of Seminis' current research involves biotechnology because the company's focus is on traditional plant
breeding. Seminis does not sell any tomatoes developed with biotechnology.
Background on the Rick Center and Seminis
UC Davis' <http://tgrc.ucdavis.edu/>Charles M. Rick Tomato Genetics
Resource Center is associated with the National Plant Germplasm System.
Upon request, the center provides seed samples to scientists and
educators worldwide. The center houses seeds of more than 3,600 wild species and
domesticated varieties, and is considered the most diverse collection of
its kind in the world.
<http://www.seminis.com/>Seminis markets more than 4,000 vegetable and
fruit varieties. Its products reduce the need for chemical pest controls,
improve grower yields and offer improved nutrition, flavour and convenience, according to Seminis officials.
Media contact(s):
�Ģ Koppenjan, Seminis, Seminis, Oxnard, Calif., (805)
gary.koppenjan@seminis.com
�Ģ Pat Bailey, UC Davis News Service, (530) pjbailey@ucdavis.edu
�Ģ Lisa Lapin, UC Davis News Service, (530) lalapin@ucdavis.edu
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