Eleanor Momberg
August 2 2009
Chickens refusing to eat the maize they had been fed has led to the discovery
that their feed had been genetically modified to include a well-known weed and
insect killer.
Strilli Oppenheimer was recently approached by Dawid Klopper, the head
gardener at the family estate, Brenthurst, informing her that her indigenous
African chickens were refusing to eat the mealies in the chicken feed bought
from a large supplier. Concerned that the birds may be ingesting genetically
modified maize, she instructed Klopper to have the maize tested.
The chickens' diet was immediately changed to include organic vegetables,
Oppenheimer stopped consuming the home-grown eggs and the maize was sent to
the GMO testing facility at the University of the Free State for analysis.
The results confirmed Oppenheimer's initial suspicion - the maize had been
genetically engineered to produce proteins that are toxic to certain insects
and weeds.
"It contained BT1 which makes the maize insect resistant, as well as Roundup
which makes it weed resistant. This is the first report we have had of
chickens not eating GM feed," said a GM expert.
While small quantities of BT1 and Roundup weed killer were found in the seeds,
the concern remained with the cumulative effect of GM feed, not only on the
chickens, but also on the eggs they produced for the family.
"This is of serious concern. Do you know that 96 percent of soya-based foods
are genetically modified and that maize in South Africa is contaminated,"
asked Oppenheimer, pointing out that research by well-known scientist Dr Arpad
Pusztai had shown that rats fed on GM potatoes suffered from a weakened immune
system and stunted growth of their internal organs, including the liver,
kidneys and brain.
Pusztai was fired by the Rowett Research Institute in the UK in 1998 after his
research into the human nutritional consequences of GM. His findings had
far-reaching implications for the biotech industry, which had contended that
GM crops and products would not adversely affect human health.
International research has shown a direct link between certain types of
genetic engineering and cancer.
Gundula Azeez and Coilin Nunan of The Soil Association, a UK environmental
charity, stated in their paper, "GM Crops - the health effects", that
international research had shown that milk, eggs and meat from GM-fed animals
contained GM crop DNA, concluding that it was likely that people were
frequently being exposed to GM DNA.
They concluded that because of the lapses in extensive safety assessments,
there were "very good scientific reasons for being concerned about the safety
of GM crops".
Rose Williams, acting director of Biowatch, said globally there was great
concern that GM products had not been adequately tested in terms of their
effect on people, animals and the environment.
"There has been no testing on humans, very limited testing on animals and very
little research on environmental impacts. This is the case globally, but in
South Africa even less work has been done, even though the commercial release
of GM maize, GM soya and GM cotton has been approved."
Williams said concerns by NGOs such as Biowatch, the African Centre for
Biosafety and SAFeAGE about the lack of control over GM crops and
contamination of non-GM crops had largely been ignored.
"Government has not done enough to protect the public from the potential
threats of GM foods. There is also the matter of liability - who will take
responsibility for people's losses and any health problems relating to
consumption of GM foods, whether they are for people or for animals."
Williams said the contamination of non-GM crops was a real problem, with the
biotech industry leading people to believe that co-existence of GM and non-GM
crops was possible. "But it is not," she said.
While the recently implemented Consumer Protection Act called for the
labelling of GM foods, the regulations linked to the measure had yet to be
finalised.
About her chickens' refusal to eat their maize, Oppenheimer said: "They're
smart."
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