Originally from: Farmtalking
                        
Dutch ecologists plea for scientific research to aid risk assessment

For Release: 28 Aug 2003

Organisation:Wageningen University and Research Centre

A survey among nine prominent Dutch ecologists has identified gaps in knowledge on the potential effects of Bt-crops on food chains and ecosystems. Bt-crops have been modified to express a bacterial gene that codes for a toxin that kills certain groups of insects. The toxin is continuously produced in all plant tissues and target as well as non-target organisms are exposed to it. Moreover, the toxin may be exuded by the roots and accumulate in the soil or it may be transferred to surrounding natural habitats through pollen of the Bt-crop. This may result in unforeseen hazards either in the short run or in the long run.

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