South African authorities reject field testing of GM cassava

The South African government has turned down an application by the Agriculture Research Council to conduct field trials on genetically modified cassava, saying it wants scientists to first show the plants are stable in contained greenhouse experiments. The cassava has been engineered to improve its starch content for industrial purposes such as biofuel production, and is not intended for animal feed or human consumption.

The decision signals South African regulators’ careful scrutiny of proposed research in this controversial field. Although South Africa is one of only a handful of African countries with a legal framework governing genetically modified crops, anti-GMO activists have charged that government lacks the capacity to enforce the rules.

The agriculture department had rejected the council’s application to import baby genetically modified cassava plants and use them in field trials without first conducting tests in the secure environment of a glasshouse, said a department spokesman. The department had asked the council to gather data on the stability of the genes inserted into the plants from glasshouse studies before it would consider giving the go-ahead for field trials. It also wanted additional information on trials conducted in the Virgin Islands.

The decision was welcomed by the African Centre for Biosafety, which interpreted the move as a sign that regulators were taking an increasingly cautious approach to research on genetically modified crops.

Business Day