Food Standards Australia New Zealand does not adequately assess health impacts of genetically modified crops, says Agriculture Minister, Kim Chance.

EXCERPT: "(Testing by FSANZ) is not rigorous at all. What they do is review information sent to them by the GM companies and the review is fairly superficial and they don't look at the raw data," [Agriculture Minister] Mr Chance said

FSANZ spokesperson Lydia Buchtmann agreed FSANZ did not conduct trials involving feeding animals or people GM foods.
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Watchdog fails on GM food: Chance
Eloise Dortch
West Australian, pg 11
http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2711

Agriculture Minister Kim Chance has attacked the national food safety watchdog, claiming it does not adequately assess health impacts of genetically modified crops.

He said more information was needed about the effects of GM food for public health and to inform WA Government policy, which currently includes a moratorium on commercial GM crops.

Mr Chance opened fire in defence of the Governments move to fund one of only a few trials to be held worldwide into the effect of feeding animals genetically modified crops.

The plan has attracted criticism from pro-GM scientists and Food Standards Australia New Zealand because the work will be conducted by a research group which is openly opposed to GM products.

The trial, due to start mid-year, will see laboratory rats or mice fed GM and non-GM crops over a six month period. Their blood and organs will then be analysed to see if there is any significant difference between those fed different crops.

The Government has given a South Australian group, the Institute of Health and Environmental Research, $92,000 to conduct the trial.

Institute director Judy Carman said previous trials, generally focussing on one function such as reproductivity, had shown rodents fed GM crops were significantly less healthy  with greater infant mortality, slower growth rates and lower immunity.

Mr Chance said that after announcing the trial in November he had received letters from US scientists criticising the move. All the scientists received research funding from GM companies.

Mr Chance said Dr Carman was a "world-class scientist. In addition, the trial would be overseen by an independent steering committee of respected scientists and the results peer-reviewd for publication in a scientific journal.

NZ's approach was inadequate "(Testing by FSANZ) is not rigorous at all. What they do is review information sent to them by the GM companies and the review is fairly superficial and they don't look at the raw data," Mr Chance said.

FSANZ spokesperson Lydia Buchtmann agreed FSANZ did not conduct trials involving feeding animals or people GM foods.

She said FSANZ used product data from GM companies and compared it with data about conventionally grown food of the same type in deciding to approve products.

The decisions were extensively peer-reviewed by Australian and international scientists.

"To date no studies have shown any problem with the foods we have approved and we are well regarded internationally," she said.

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