A framework for a european network for a systematic environmental impact assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMO)

TY - JOUR

T1 - A framework for a european network for a systematic environmental impact assessment of genetically modified organisms (GMO)

AU - Graef, Frieder

AU - Römbke, Jörg

AU - Binimelis, Rosa

AU - Myhr, Anne Ingeborg

AU - Hilbeck, Angelika

AU - Breckling, Broder

AU - Dalgaard, Tommy

AU - Stachow, Ulrich

AU - Catacora-Vargas, Georgina

AU - Böhn, Thomas

AU - Quist, David

AU - Darvas, Béla

AU - Dudel, Gert

AU - Oehen, Bernadette

AU - Meyer, Hartmut

AU - Henle, Klaus

AU - Wynne, Brian

AU - Metzger, Marc J.

AU - Knäbe, Silvio

AU - Settele, Josef

AU - Székács, András

AU - Wurbs, Angelika

AU - Berhard, Jeannette

AU - Murphy-Bokern, Donal

AU - Buiatti, Marcello

AU - Giovannetti, Manuela

AU - Debeljak, Marko

AU - Andersen, Erling

AU - Peatz, Andreas

AU - Dzeroski, Saso

AU - Tappeser, Beatrix

AU - van Gestel, Cornelis A.M.

AU - Wosniok, Werner

AU - Séralini, Gilles-Eric

AU - Aslaksen, Iulie

AU - Pesch, Roland

AU - Maly, Stanislav

AU - Werner, Armin

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - The assessment of the impacts of growing genetically modified (GM) crops remains a major political and scientific challenge in Europe. Concerns have been raised by the evidence of adverse and unexpected environmental effects and differing opinions on the outcomes of environmental risk assessments (ERA). The current regulatory system is hampered by insufficiently developed methods for GM crop safety testing and introduction studies. Improvement to the regulatory system needs to address the lack of well designed GM crop monitoring frameworks, professional and financial conflicts of interest within the ERA research and testing community, weaknesses in consideration of stakeholder interests and specific regional conditions, and the lack of comprehensive assessments that address the environmental and socio-economic risk assessment interface. To address these challenges, we propose a European Network for systematic GMO impact assessment (ENSyGMO) with the aim directly to enhance ERA and post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) of GM crops, to harmonize and ultimately secure the long-term socio-political impact of the ERA process and the PMEM in the EU. These goals would be achieved with a multi-dimensional and multi-sector approach to GM crop impact assessment, targeting the variability and complexity of the EU agro-environment and the relationship with relevant socio-economic factors. Specifically, we propose to develop and apply methodologies for both indicator and field site selection for GM crop ERA and PMEM, embedded in an EU-wide typology of agro-environments. These methodologies should be applied in a pan-European field testing network using GM crops. The design of the field experiments and the sampling methodology at these field sites should follow specific hypotheses on GM crop effects and use state-of-the art sampling, statistics and modelling approaches. To address public concerns and create confidence in the ENSyGMO results, actors with relevant specialist knowledge from various sectors should be involved.

AB - The assessment of the impacts of growing genetically modified (GM) crops remains a major political and scientific challenge in Europe. Concerns have been raised by the evidence of adverse and unexpected environmental effects and differing opinions on the outcomes of environmental risk assessments (ERA). The current regulatory system is hampered by insufficiently developed methods for GM crop safety testing and introduction studies. Improvement to the regulatory system needs to address the lack of well designed GM crop monitoring frameworks, professional and financial conflicts of interest within the ERA research and testing community, weaknesses in consideration of stakeholder interests and specific regional conditions, and the lack of comprehensive assessments that address the environmental and socio-economic risk assessment interface. To address these challenges, we propose a European Network for systematic GMO impact assessment (ENSyGMO) with the aim directly to enhance ERA and post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) of GM crops, to harmonize and ultimately secure the long-term socio-political impact of the ERA process and the PMEM in the EU. These goals would be achieved with a multi-dimensional and multi-sector approach to GM crop impact assessment, targeting the variability and complexity of the EU agro-environment and the relationship with relevant socio-economic factors. Specifically, we propose to develop and apply methodologies for both indicator and field site selection for GM crop ERA and PMEM, embedded in an EU-wide typology of agro-environments. These methodologies should be applied in a pan-European field testing network using GM crops. The design of the field experiments and the sampling methodology at these field sites should follow specific hypotheses on GM crop effects and use state-of-the art sampling, statistics and modelling approaches. To address public concerns and create confidence in the ENSyGMO results, actors with relevant specialist knowledge from various sectors should be involved.

U2 - 10.3897/biorisk.7.1969

DO - 10.3897/biorisk.7.1969

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1313-2644

VL - 7

SP - 73

EP - 97

JO - BioRisk

JF - BioRisk

ER -