EU questions French GM study

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has cast doubt on a headline-grabbing French study that linked a genetically modified (GM) maize crop produced by American crop science company Monsanto to cancer.

In an initial review published Thursday (4 October), EFSA said that the research was “of insufficient scientific quality,” has “unclear study objectives” and “inadequate design, analysis and reporting.” EFSA asked the study's authors for additional evidence by 12 October, for a final review to be issued in the coming weeks.

The EFSA review follows an assessment published by the German Federal Instititute for Risk Assessment (BfR) on Monday (1 October) which concluded that it does not provide grounds for a re-evaluation of the maize in question - NK603. The crop is engineered to be resistant to the Monsanto-made herbicide Roundup.

The study caused a stir last week when it suggested that rats which were fed the maize had a significantly increased rate of cancer and mortality. The French government called for an emergency suspension of imports of Roundup-resistant maize and launched an assessment of the study, which is still ongoing.

Anti-GM campaigners such as Friends of the Earth Europe and MEPs such as French Green José Bove called for the immediate suspension of all new GM approvals in response to the study. Friends of the Earth Europe accused EFSA of being biased because of its connections with the biotech industry.

The European Commission said its position on GM crops has not changed as a result of the study, and it is waiting for EFSA's final assessment.