*GHENT, Belgium – The Council of State has consigned the federal ministers Magnette and Onkelinx’ decision to refuse a permit for a field trial with genetically modified poplars to the wastepaper basket. These poplars are intended for the sustainable production of biofuels. The Council of State rules that the refusal causes severe damage to VIB as an institute, and that the arguments used are not legal. The refusal has now been suspended, awaiting a verdict to all intents and purposes.
*

In its fight against the wrong suffered, VIB feels very much reinforced by the ruling of the Council of State, Belgium’s highest juridical court. However, this does not mean that the modified poplars can now be moved to the field. The suspension of the decision is an important step in the legal battle. VIB reckons that the next step will indeed be the nullification of the refusal. The ministers then will be forced to come up with a new decision, taking into account the Council of State’s verdicts.

The concerned poplars possess a modified wood composition, which makes them more suitable for the production of bio-ethanol. Bio-ethanol can play an important role in the battle against climate warming. When they are grown in a greenhouse, they yield up to 50% more bio-ethanol than non-modified poplars. VIB requested a permit for a field trial, but this request was denied. The field trial, however, is necessary to investigate whether the poplars, when cultivated in realistic practical circumstances – exposed to the seasons, weather and wind, insects and plagues, a genuine soil – will also yield wood that can be converted more easily into bio-ethanol. VIB has an international reputation to defend in this field of research. At the exact time the field trial was blocked by the Belgian ministers, VIB received 1.6 million dollars from the American Global Climate and Energy Project, managed by Stanford University, for further research.

*Arguments rebutted*

The ministers had used three arguments for their refusal. First: the file contains no specific assessment protocol for the effect on microbes in the ground, and for the risks of the poplars reacting strangely to diseases and climate stress. The Council of State replies that the experts of the Biosafety Council explicitly have stated to have enough data to assess the riscs involved. Secundly, the ministers argue that in the development of the trees, a ‘marker gene’ is introduced for resistance against an antibiotic. This would be an infringement of the legal requirement to extinguish the use of such genes by the end of 2008. Here too, the Council of State follows the Biosafety Council, which explicitly said that the gene involved poses no risk to public health nor environment. Thirdly, the ministers stated they could not grant permission while there is a public discussion on the relevance of biofuels. This argument has nothing to do with safety, replies the Council of State.

The Council of State adds that the refusal of the filed tests “can endanger the further financing and even existence of VIB”, that the investment in ten years of top research “treatens to become nullified”, and that the refusal of the field test can have negative consequences for the Belgian biotech-sector and for the investments in that sector.

*Flemish Poplars Abroad*

In the mean time, in spite of the Council of State’s ruling, VIB still does not have a permit for the field trial. Already a whole year has been lost. Nevertheless, VIB would like to ensure that the trial is launched for the 2009 growth season. More than anything, it would like to do so in Flanders, close to the related research centre, as was originally planned. This, however, requires the ministers’ willingness to come round and revert their decision.

VIB’s minister of tutelage, Patricia Ceysens, Minister of Science and of Economical Affairs, has ordered to avoid the research being wasted. VIB has, by way of guarantee, started off on two alternative paths. Recently, VIB has also filed a permit request for the field trial in the Netherlands. It already got a positive advice of the Dutch Commission on Genetic Modification, and is following its normal administrative course. When this request will be granted – and VIB cannot think of any reason why this should not be the case – it will again demonstrate the controversial nature of the Belgian decision to deny such a permit. In the meantime, the trees VIB had cultivated for the 2008 growth season have already been placed in open air in Germany. In Germany, there was visibly no problem whatsoever with putting the trees outside. Evidently, strict safety procedures have been followed, as these would have been followed in Flanders.

*BACKGROUND*
VIB has put up a website with an extensive background file on the matter. There, you can find more information on biotechnology, biofuels, genetically modified poplars, legislation on genetically modified plants, as well as on the chronology of the poplar file’s calvary up till now. http://www.vib.be/poplar
Wout Boerjan is leading the research on the molecularly improved poplars. He is head of the research group Bio-Energy in the VIB Department of Plants Systems Biology, UGent – which is managed by Dirk Inzé.

VIB is a not-for-profit research institute conducting pioneering research in the life sciences. About 1100 scientists and technicians carry out fundamental research into the molecular mechanisms that see to the functioning of the human body, plants, and micro-organisms.
Thanks to a close partnership with the four Flemish universities of Ghent, Louvain, Antwerp and Brussels, and a solid investment program, VIB unites the forces of 65 research groups into one institute. The goal of their research is to push out the frontiers of our knowledge in a fundamental way. Through its technology transfer activities, VIB aims to convert research results in products that benefit consumer and patient. VIB develops and distributes a broad range of scientifically sound information about all aspects of biotechnology. For more information, please visit http://www.vib.be .

*For more information, please contact*:
VIB Communication
+32 9 244 66 11
Source: VIB

Nu wil VIB deze gentech bomen in Zeeland, Nederland planten. Wat kunnen wij hier tegen doen? Heb je bovenstaande tekst ook in het Nederlands en mogen wij die gebruiken voor ons komende bezwaarschrift?

Vriendelijke groet,

Miep Bos, woordvoerster van De Gentechvrije Burgers
Nederland

Belgium says “no” to GM poplars

Brussel, Belgium – Ministers Magnette and Onkelinx rejected the request for field trials of GM poplars from the Flemish Institute of Biotechnology (VIB). Greenpeace welcomes this decision. The experiment aimed to produce trees intended for the production of agrofuels.

The production of agrofuels from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that are harmful to biodiversity, conceals the necessity to reduce the number of kilometres travelled and to use cars which use less energy. A credible answer to climate change involving really permanent solutions, must be based on a long term view, including putting into question our patterns of consumption.

The good news was, that this week two Belgian secretaries prohibited the use of GEtrees in Ghent. The bad news is, that immediately the majority of flemish secretaries made this into a political row because the two federal secretaries, magnette and onkelinckx, are frenchspeaking, and so the flemish politicians see this as a evil frenchspeaking scam to ‘boycot flemish environment innovation’.
Sad, but true.

You can find all information on the following link, but unfortunately, it is all in dutch for the moment:
http://ovl.indymedia.org/news/2008/05/23196.php

Could you please explain a little bit about the Thandai Periyar Human Rights Federation? Are you working on GMOs?

Thanks and cheers, Chris