‘Regulations could prevent SA’s use of technology’

Agbiz, the South African National Seed Organization (Sansor) and CropLife South Africa have joined forces to appeal the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development’s (agriculture department) decision to classify and regulate all new breeding techniques (NBTs) under the Genetically Modified Organisms Act No. 15 of 1997.

In October last year, the agriculture department announced that an evolving list of products derived from NBTs would be evaluated under the risk assessment framework that existed for genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the appellants said in a statement.

NBTs specifically refer to scientific changes made within a plant’s DNA in order to change its traits.

Dr Magdeleen Cilliers, Sansor’s policy and research officer, told Farmer’s Weekly that this had been an ongoing discussion for six years. “The South African regulator’s interpretation of the definition of GMOs goes against the widely accepted principle that NBTs should not be regulated differently if they are indistinguishable from products that could have been obtained naturally or through conventional breeding methods.”

Karen Grobler, spokesperson for Agbiz, said asymmetric regulation might cause food insecurity and create significant barriers between South Africa and its trading partners, due to the “excessive protocols that will have to be followed”.

Cilliers said this decision would also result in farmers not having access to the best genetics on the market.

“No South African company will try to gain access to NBTs under these circumstances, because it will be extremely expensive to gain access to them. In the end, this type of technology will only be in the hands of multinational companies, although they might also not want the added expenses needed to get the product to market.”

This was undermining South Africa’s competitiveness, Cilliers said.

“Five years ago, Argentina was the first country that enacted regulatory criteria to assess if organisms resulting from NBTs are to be regarded as GMOs or not. After four years, a study showed that their own companies have become much more competitive. Eight other South American countries are following in their footsteps.”

Cilliers added that authorities worldwide had to find regulatory approaches that fit their purpose and were science-based and risk-proportionate.

Grobler said Agbiz would welcome it if the industry could work with the agriculture department and the executive council of the GMO Act to remove any deemed obstacles and facilitate effective, efficient and evidence-based regulation of products derived from NBTs. – Susan Marais