Turkey working to form policy on genetically modified organisms - Part II

Risk to biological (and career) diversity

MICHAEL KUSER

ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

The introduction of transgenic crops is especially sensitive in Turkey, which boasts a rich biological stock with over 12,000 species of flora and fauna. This compares to 13,000 in all of Europe.

 Archeologists have found the earliest strains of domesticated wheat in the fertile crescent of ancient Mesopotamia, specifically at a site in present day Turkey near the Syrian border. A bio-engineering scientist in Turkey with five years of experience in DNA testing of transgenic crops said that she came to the subject with an open mind, "neither for nor against, but now the risk side seems to outweigh the benefits for me."

She declined to reveal her name while pursuing a court case against her university for this month reassigning her to another department and taking her lab away. The researcher had raised funds from government and industry (80,000 euros from the State Planning Organization and 175,000 euros from Turkish food conglomerate Ülker) to set up an independent laboratory. She was days away from final stage testing on seed samples gathered around Turkey when the news came from her rector.

The chairman of the Agricultural Engineers Association, Gökhan Günaydýn, said they were aware of the woman'S SÝTUATÝON AND WERE WRÝTÝNG A FORMAL LETTER OF SUPPORT. "WHERE THE PRESSURE COMES FROM ÝS NOT CLEAR, EXCEPT THAT THE SAME PRESSURE ÝS COMÝNG TO OUR ASSOCÝATÝON," HE SAÝD. "THEY BLAME US AS ANTÝ-GMO ACTÝVÝSTS, BUT I STOOD UP ÝN PARLÝAMENT LAST MONTH AND SAÝD THAT WE HAVE NO FÝNANCÝAL TÝES TO ANY OF THESE COMPANÝES, UNLÝKE CERTAÝN ACADEMÝCÝANS WHO HAVE A SALARY FROM THEÝR UNÝVERSÝTY AND AT THE SAME TÝME, TAKE MONEY AS CONSULTANTS TO ÝNDUSTRY."

RESEARCHERS ÝN THE UK CONDUCTED TESTS ON THE EFFECTS ON BÝO-DÝVERSÝTY OF GM OÝL SEED RAPE AND CORN, STUDYÝNG THE AMOUNT OF WEED SEEDS AND BÝOMASS LEFT AFTER HARVEST. OVERALL RESULTS SHOWED A DETRÝMENTAL EFFECT ON WÝLD PLANTS AND ANÝMALS, THOUGH ÝNÝTÝAL LOWER RATES OF HERBÝCÝDE APPLÝCATÝON WÝTH THE CORN CROP BENEFÝTED ÝNSECTS AND BÝRDS.

THE TROUBLE ÝN TURKEY ÝS THAT THE GOVERNMENT ÝS TRYÝNG TO PLEASE ALL SÝDES -- THE PUBLÝC, THE EU AND THE UNÝTED STATES.

"THE MÝNÝSTRY (AGRÝCULTURE) HAS CHANGED ÝTS TUNE EVERY TÝME, FROM NO GM SEEDS AT ALL, TO ONLY SOME, TO NO GM GRAÝN ÝMPORTS, TO ONLY THOSE FOR ANÝMAL FEED," SAÝD THE UNÝVERSÝTY RESEARCHER. FOR EXAMPLE, GÜNAYDIN CÝTED A STUDY AT MÝDDLE EASTERN TECHNÝCAL UNÝVERSÝTY (METU) THAT FOUND GM TOMATO SEEDS ÝN TURKEY. "THE MÝNÝSTER OF AGRÝCULTURE SAÝD ÝT WAS NOT TRUE, THAT TESTÝNG WAS COMPLÝCATED AND THAT THE SCHOOL MUST HAVE MADE A MÝSTAKE, BUT METU RESEARCHER CANDAN GURAKAN CAME BACK AND ASSERTED THAT FOREÝGN LABS HAD CONFÝRMED THE FÝNDÝNGS," HE SAÝD.

 EVERYONE ÝNTERVÝEWED AGREED THAT TURKÝSH CUSTOMS DOES NOTHÝNG TO CONTROL THE ÝMPORTATÝON OF GMO SEEDS. "CUSTOMS DOES ABSOLUTELY NO TESTÝNG, ONLY ACCEPTÝNG THE ÝMPORTER's declaration," said Günaydýn. The temporarily anonymous university researcher said she believes "GM corn and soy to be growing, Turkey'S TWO LARGEST CROPS, AND OF COURSE WE ALREADY FOUND TOMATOES."

TESTÝNG ÝS DÝFFÝCULT ÝF YOU DON't know what you'RE LOOKÝNG FOR, SUCH AS ÝS REQUÝRED WÝTH PROTEÝN-SPECÝFÝC FÝELD TESTS. RESEARCHERS WORRY ABOUT THE RÝSK TO BÝODÝVERSÝTY BECAUSE THE NEWLY ÝNTRODUCED TRAÝTS COME FROM DOMÝNANT GENES, WHÝCH MEAN THEY MAY BE VERY DÝFFÝCULT, ÝF NOT ÝMPOSSÝBLE, TO BREED OUT. THE WOMAN MENTÝONED AMERÝCAN APPROVAL OF PATENTED CROPS ÝN IRAQ AS A REAL DANGER TO TURKEY's huge GAP irrigation project in the Southeast. The risk from cross-pollination is very real to one of the country'S MOST ÝMPORTANT AGRÝCULTURAL PRODUCTÝON AREAS.

"I HEAR THEY ARE PASSÝNG OUT FREE SAMPLES OF THE SEED ÝN MANÝSA AND ADÝPAZARÝ, CORN SEED," SAÝD THE BESÝEGED RESEARCHER. "THE MÝNÝSTRY JUST DOESN't want to be the one to say GMOs already exist in Turkey."

BOX

Genetic modification for agricultural purposes aims at either making a plant poisonous to insects or tolerant to various herbicides. The most famous herbicide-related treatment prepares a plant to tolerate glyophosphate, a weed-killer patented by Monsanto and marketed under the trade name Roundup. Crop seed bio-engineered to tolerate the herbicide is marketed as Roundup Ready.

Chemical companies involved in the business of developing biotechnology for agricultural applications aim to "stack" the genetic traits, so that a corn resistant to certain herbicides may also contain a protein toxic to insects. The most common form of built-in pesticide comes from transferring a gene from a common soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, into a plant, say corn, which then renders the corn'S LEAF TÝSSUE TOXÝC TO CATERPÝLLARS, WHÝCH FEED ON THAT CROP. CORN ENGÝNEERED THÝS WAY ÝS KNOWN AS BT CORN.