BioSafety, Volume 3, Paper 2 (BY97002) February 27th
1997
Online Journal, URL - http://www.bdt.org.br/bioline/by
Ecological impacts of traditional crop plants - a basis for
the assessment of transgenic plants
Helge Torgersen #1, Gerhard Soja #2, Ines Janssen #3 and Helmut
Gaugitsch #4
#1 Institute for Technology Assessment, Austrian Academy of
Sciences, Postgasse 7/4, A-1010 Vienna, Austria;
torg@oeaw.ac.at
#2 Agricultural Research and Biotechnology, Department of Life
Sciences, Austrian Research Centre Seibersdorf, A-2444
Seibersdorf, Austria; soja@arcs.ac.at
#3 Austrian Ecology Institute, Seidengasse 13, A-1070 Vienna,
Austria; oekoinst@alpin.or.at
#4 Federal Environment Agency, Spittelauer Laende 9, A-1090,
Vienna, Austria; gaugitsch@uba.ubavie.gv.at
Received February 20th, 1997
Accepted February 25th, 1997
Code Number: BY97002
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Text: 35K
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ABSTRACT
For risk assessment of transgenic higher plants, pursuant to
European Union Directive 94/15/EEC, traits of the organism are
important. To verify the assumption that behaviour of a plant
can be predicted from its traits, the ecological impacts
resulting from the cultivation of eleven non-transgenic crop
species were studied. It was hardly possible to infer effects
directly from traits. Ecological impacts of agricultural
practices are more easily identifiable. Adverse effects linked
to certain traits frequently correlate with maladjustment to
local environmental conditions (e.g. climate). Less attention
is paid to these effects within the scope of conventional risk
assessment. It is concluded that:
effects cannot be fully anticipated from phenotypic traits,
although this is a prerequisite for the currently practised
form of risk assessment;
the significance of the parameters 'gene transfer' and
'invasiveness' is much lower in practice than indicated by
their importance in risk assessment; and
ecological impacts of major practical importance are not taken
into account, because they concern agricultural practice.
Limitation of risk assessment to impacts on ecosystems NOT
used agriculturally leads to an unacceptable limitation of the
scope of protection. Since only phenotypic traits are deemed
significant for possible risk, restriction of risk assessment
to transgenic plants seems inappropriate.
The introduction of more "ecologically beneficial" breeding
goals in terms of a prophylactic and extensive environmental
protection is proposed in the long term, to allow more
consistent regulations that do not place transgenic plants at
a disadvantage.
To partially relieve the current shortcomings, Annex II B of
EU Directive 94/15/EEC could include (e.g.) a question about
whether the genetic modification allows, promotes or requires
changes in agricultural practice and possible environmental
impacts resulting from practice that has been modified due to
the new traits.
Keywords: transgenic plants, risk assessment criteria,
European Union Directive 94/15/EEC, ecological impacts,
concept of familiarity
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