3-Food: GE papaya found on markets in Taiwan

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TITLE:  Concern over GM papayas raised by Jao
SOURCE: Taipei Times, Taiwan, by Chiu Yu-Tzu
        http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/
        2003/09/16/2003068021
DATE:   Sep 16, 2003

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Concern over GM papayas raised by Jao

HEALTH RISK?: Democratic progressive party legislator eugene jao said
that taiwan has become a victim of genetically-modified papayas rather
than a benefactor:

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Eugene Jao yesterday criticizes
the Council of Agriculture at a press conference for its failure in
regulating genetically modified papaya seedlings in lab fields as GM
papayas have been found on the market.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Eugene Jao said this posed
a risk to the health of consumers.

According to Jao, the agriculture council commenced research in 1998 into
the development of papayas resistant to the devastating papaya ring spot
virus.

One of the laboratories working on this is in Wufeng Township, Taichung
County. The health department inspectors also discovered GM papayas
growing in Wufeng in 2001.

"Rather than benefiting from the scientific research, we have become
victims," Jao said at a press conference yesterday.

Huang Shan-ney, director of the council's Food and Agriculture
Department, said the council had not released any GM papaya seedlings to
farmers.

"The government should immediately launch a safety assessment pertaining
to GM papayas ... If we don't know anything about GM papayas, the product
should not be available on the market."

Eric Liou, secretary-general of the Taipei-based Environmental Quality
Protection Foundation, said the agriculture council should keep tabs on
all GM papaya seedlings in labs to ensure that GM papayas would not reach
consumers.

"The government should immediately launch a safety assessment regarding
GM papayas," Liou said.

In Europe or North America, it takes at least 10 years to complete a GM
food safety assessment to safeguard consumers' health, Liou said.

"If we don't know anything about GM papayas, the product should not be
available on the market," Liou said.

Pointing to a strain of GM papayas in Hawaii as an example of how the
problem should be handled, Liou said the product was strongly promoted
when it went to market five years ago, but last year it was
scientifically associated with an allergen.

Liou said papaya cultivation is one of Taiwan's most important
agricultural industries.

He said that it was not right that Taiwanese papaya farmers should to be
hurt by the government's carelessness in regulating food products.

According to the health department, only two imported GM products are
available on the Taiwanese market -- soya beans and corn. Another 11 GM
food products and materials are under evaluation.

Health officials said the compulsory labeling of GM crops and products
processed from GM foodstuffs would be implemented next year.




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