The debate about GMO crops has been fanned once more, with the publication of a set of scientific results ‘suppressed’ by the GMO industry for eight years.

Brian John of GM Free Cymru, who published the findings on their website, said the research was conducted in 1998 by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences.

The study was conducted with Monsanto GM NewLeaf potatoes, which contained an antibiotic resistance marker gene. It showed that the potatoes did considerable damage to the organs of a group of rats who were fed them.

The Institute refused to release the findings, reportedly because of pressure from GMO companies. However, Greenpeace and other consumer groups mounted a protracted legal battle campaign to obtain the report, culminating in its release earlier this week.

The Independent carried a full report on the debacle, announcing that there were now calls for calls for Environment Secretary David Miliband to withdraw permission for new trials on GM potatoes set to go ahead this spring.

The report mirrors the findings of Dr Arpad Pusztai, who conducted similar work, suggesting that GM potatoes damaged the organs of rats fed them. His study, released in 1998, was criticised by the Royal Society as ‘inconclusive and possibly flawed’. However, medical journal The Lancet chose to disagree, calling the judgement of the Royal Society ‘a gesture of breathtaking impertinence’ in an editorial.

Since 1998, Monsanto has withdrawn from the GM potato market in Britain.

Topics