EU Scientists: Animal Testing Not Necessary to Ensure Safety of GM Crops

A commentary released in Plant Biotechnology Journal by scientists from the United Kingdom and the Netherlands dismisses the need for (sub)-chronic testing of whole genetically modified (GM) foods in rodents to assess their safety. This is in response to the new European Union legislation that demands a 90-day feeding trial in rodents for every single transformation event and, in specific cases, the same trial for plants containing transformation events stacked by conventional crossing. The guidance of the European Food and Safety Authority recommends this type of experimentation only under certain conditions.

The scientists claimed that routine testing should not be required since, due to apparent weaknesses in the approach, it does not add to the current risk assessment of GM foods. The commentary added that far more sensitive analytical, bioinformatical, and specific toxicological methods exist to assess short-, medium- and long-term effects of GM foods. Moreover, the demand for routine testing using animals is in conflict with the EU Commission's efforts to reduce animal experimentation.