A groundbreaking new study [1] shows that pigs were
harmed by the consumption of feed containing genetically modified (GM)
crops.
GM-fed females had on average a 25% heavier uterus than
non-GM-fed females, a possible indicator of disease that requires
further investigation. Also, the level of severe inflammation in
stomachs was markedly higher in pigs fed on the GM diet. The research
results were striking and statistically significant.
Find a clear summary of the study here
Lead researcher Dr Judy Carman, adjunct associate professor
at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia,[2] said: “Our findings are
noteworthy for several reasons. First, we found these results in real
on-farm conditions, not in a laboratory, but with the added benefit of
strict scientific controls that are not normally present on farms.
“Second, we used pigs. Pigs with these health problems end up in our food supply. We eat them.
“Third, pigs have a similar digestive system to people, so we need to
investigate if people are also getting digestive problems from eating
GM crops.
“Fourth, we found these adverse effects when we fed the animals a
mixture of crops containing three GM genes and the GM proteins that
these genes produce. Yet no food regulator anywhere in the world
requires a safety assessment for the possible toxic effects of mixtures.
Regulators simply assume that they can’t happen.
“Our results provide clear evidence that regulators need to safety
assess GM crops containing mixtures of GM genes, regardless of whether
those genes occur in the one GM plant or in a mixture of GM plants eaten
in the same meal, even if regulators have already assessed GM plants
containing single GM genes in the mixture.”
The new study lends scientific credibility to anecdotal evidence from
farmers and veterinarians, who have for some years reported
reproductive and digestive problems in pigs fed on a diet containing GM
soy and corn.[3]
Iowa-based farmer and crop and livestock advisor Howard Vlieger, one
of the coordinators of the study, said: “For as long as GM crops have
been in the feed supply, we have seen increasing digestive and
reproductive problems in animals. Now it is scientifically documented.
“In my experience, farmers have found increased production costs and
escalating antibiotic use when feeding GM crops. In some operations, the
livestock death loss is high, and there are unexplained problems
including spontaneous abortions, deformities of new-born animals, and an
overall listlessness and lack of contentment in the animals.
“In some cases, animals eating GM crops are very aggressive. This is
not surprising, given the scale of stomach irritation and inflammation
now documented. I have seen no financial benefit to farmers who feed GM
crops to their animals.”
Gill Rowlands, a farmer based in Pembrokeshire, Wales who is also a
member of the campaign group GM-Free Cymru, said: “This is an animal
welfare issue. Responsible farmers and consumers alike do not want
animals to suffer. We call for the rapid phase-out of all GMOs from
animal feed supplies.”
Claire Robinson of the campaign group GMWatch said: “Several UK
supermarkets recently abandoned their GM-free animal feed policies,
citing lack of availability of non-GM feed. We call on the public to
visit the new citizens’ action website
gmoaction.org,
where they can quickly and easily send an email to the supermarkets
asking them to ensure their suppliers secure certified GM-free animal
feed. This will mean placing advance orders for GM-free soy from
countries like Brazil.”
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Study details
The research was conducted by collaborating investigators from two
continents and published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Organic
Systems. The feeding study lasted more than five months, the normal
commercial lifespan for a pig, and was conducted in the US. The pigs
were slaughtered at the usual slaughter age of over 5 months, after
eating the diets for their entire commercial lifespan.
168 newly-weaned pigs in a commercial piggery were fed either a
typical diet incorporating GM soy and corn, or else (in the control
group) an equivalent non-GM diet. The pigs were reared under identical
housing and feeding conditions. They were slaughtered over 5 months
later, at the usual slaughter age, after eating the diets for their
entire commercial lifespan. They were then autopsied by qualified
veterinarians who worked “blind” – they were not informed which pigs
were fed on the GM diet and which were from the control group.
The GMO feed mix was a commonly used mix. The GM and non-GM diets
contained the same amount of soy and corn, except that the GM diet
contained a mixture of three GM genes and their protein products, while
the control (non-GM) diet had equivalent non-GM ingredients. Of the
three GM proteins in the GM diet, one made a crop resistant to being
sprayed with the herbicide Roundup, while two were insecticides.
Contact:
Claire Robinson, GMWatch, UK:
claire@gmwatch.org To phone within UK: 0752 753 6923. To phone outside UK: +44 752 753 6923
Dr Judy Carman, Adelaide, Australia
Email:
judycarman@ozemail.com.au
Mr Howard Vlieger, Maurice, Iowa
Email:
studentofthesoil@mtcnet.net
Notes
1. Judy A. Carman, Howard R. Vlieger, Larry J. Ver Steeg,
Verlyn E. Sneller, Garth W. Robinson, Catherine A. Clinch-Jones, Julie
I. Haynes, John W. Edwards (2013). A long-term toxicology study on pigs
fed a combined genetically modified (GM) soy and GM maize diet. Journal
of Organic Systems 8 (1): 38-54. Open access full text:
www.organic-systems.org/journal/81/8106.pdf
2. Dr Judy Carman, BSc (Hons) PhD MPH MPHAA; Epidemiologist and
Biochemist; Director, Institute of Health and Environmental Research,
Adelaide, Australia; Adjunct Associate Professor, Health and the
Environment, School of the Environment, Adelaide, Australia
3. For example:
www.responsibletechnology.org/posts/wp-ontent/uploads/2012/04/Soydamage1.pdf
www.i-sis.org.uk/GM_Soy_Linked_to_Illnesses_in_Farm_Pigs.php
Farmer interviews in the 2012 film, Genetic Roulette: The Gamble of Our Lives, directed by Jeffrey Smith
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