US doctors back biotechnology

The American Medical Association (AMA) expressed strong support for the use of biotechnology in agriculture and food production, saying genetically modified crops and foods "are substantially equivalent to their conventional counterparts".

In an extensive position paper published to clarify issues on agricultural biotechnology the AMA also assured the public on the safety of GMOs, saying "no long-term effects have been detected to date" concerning possible adverse consequences of the use of these products.

"The potential from transgenic technology in agriculture is well recognized," The AMA said, adding the biotech plants created with natural resistance to pests "have improved nutritional quality and delayed ripening, and improved flavor".

The AMA also noted that biotech plants "have increased yields and benefit the environment by reducing the use of conventional pesticides". The group specifically cited the reduction by over one million kilograms per year of pesticide use in the US following the switch to biotech cotton.

The position of the AMA on the biotech issue placed it on a direct collision course with its British counterpart. The British Medical Association (BMA) recently published a statement on the uncertainty of risks involved in the use of biotechnology in agriculture. The BMA position has been adopted by international pressure group Greenpeace.

The French Academy of Medicine on the other hand released a report. "The Genetically Modified Plants" and called for an end to the European moratorium on biotech crops. According to the report, all the criticisms against GMOs can be set side based for the most part on strictly scientific criteria. Furthermore, any generalization on the potential risks linked to GMOs is impossible since scientific rigor can only proceed from a case-by-case analysis.

Some local groups have allied with Greenpeace in a bid to halt the government’s appoval for the domestic propagation of the high-yielding pest-resistant Bt corn variety. The approval came after more than five years of laboratory evaluation and field trials.

The domestic propagation of Bt corn, however, received widespread support from the Philippine scientific community, livestock and poultry industries. It was also backed by the Philippine Maize Federation, Inc., the country’s biggest organization of corn farmers.

The AMA also said it opposes "any moratorium on the planting of genetically modified crops".

"The AMA recognizes the many potential benefits offered by these crop and food varieties, and encourages ongoing research in food biotechnology," the group said.