Genetically modified rice monkey feeding experiment commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture

During this year's National Two Sessions, a Beijing Times (Weibo) reporter once cornered Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu at the "Ministers' Corridor" and asked whether genetically modified rice would be approved for market this year. Han Changfu merely smiled without answering.

The day before yesterday, Zhang Qifa, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said at China's first "Golden Rice" tasting event that the decision on the industrialization of genetically modified rice should not rely on public opinion, but should follow regulations and procedures. The Ministry of Agriculture, as the competent department, not daring to make the call is dereliction of duty, causing the industrialization of genetically modified rice to miss a major opportunity, and further waiting and delay will harm the country.

As to whether genetically modified rice is safe, Lin Yongjun, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University and project leader of the National Major Science and Technology Project "Breeding of New Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Rice Varieties," revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently commissioning China Agricultural University to conduct a 90-day feeding experiment on genetically modified rice using small pigs, and has also commissioned the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct a monkey feeding experiment, "belonging to primates, very close to humans."

61 academicians urge industrialization of genetically modified rice

The day before yesterday afternoon, the 300-seat lecture hall of the Huazhong Agricultural University Library was packed to capacity.

"The current dilemma is that the development of national genetically modified industrialization has stopped, and the industrialization of genetically modified rice cannot be realized. I personally believe a major opportunity has been missed." Academician Zhang Qifa said this to the netizens wearing cultural shirts reading "Love Science, Support GMOs" in the audience.

Zhang Qifa is currently the dean of the College of Life Science and Technology at Huazhong Agricultural University and director of the National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement. In 2009, the research team led by Zhang Qifa at Huazhong Agricultural University obtained two genetically modified rice safety certificates issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, the only two China has had to date. But these two genetically modified rice varieties still have no date for market launch.

"What exactly is the attitude of the country's top leadership toward the development of genetically modified technology in China?" Zhang Qifa said he was not clear about this. He mentioned that this summer, 49 overseas experts wrote to the country's top leadership, recommending the promotion of the industrialization of genetically modified crops, and it was understood that they "received a very positive response."

Almost simultaneously, 61 domestic academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering also submitted a written appeal to national leaders on this matter. Zhang Qifa said the wording this time was urgent, analyzing the international and domestic situations, and held that promoting the industrialization of genetically modified rice had reached a point of no delay, otherwise it would harm the country.

Experts accuse Ministry of Agriculture of "not doing enough"

"Decision-makers are not sure about this thing and dare not make the call," Zhang Qifa said. The biggest obstacle to the industrialization of genetically modified rice is that the government has no decision.

Currently the Chinese public generally has doubts about genetically modified food. Is it precisely this state of public opinion that makes it difficult for the Ministry of Agriculture to make the call? In response, Zhang Qifa believed that relying on public opinion for decisions on GMO industrialization is not a smart approach. It should follow national regulations and procedures, and if the regulations are wrong, then revise them, just as in a ball game who wins or loses is decided by the referee, and should not depend on which side has more supporters.

China currently has approved genetically modified crops for commercial production including tomatoes with extended storage life, insect-resistant cotton, virus-resistant sweet peppers, morning glory with altered flower color, and virus-resistant papaya. Zhang Qifa mentioned that these had all been smoothly put into production after obtaining safety certificates, and only rice had its threshold raised, making it impossible to carry out variety approval, and thus impossible to obtain the production license and business license needed for market launch. "How are genetically modified rice varieties supposed to begin promotion? Right now the Ministry of Agriculture does not even have a method," Zhang Qifa accused the Ministry of Agriculture of not doing enough.

Genetically modified rice used in monkey feeding experiment

Regarding the safety of genetically modified rice, "anti-GMO" factions questioned that the experiments were faked and demanded disclosure.


Lin Yongjun, a professor at Huazhong Agricultural University and project leader of the National Major Science and Technology Project "Breeding of New Insect-Resistant Genetically Modified Rice Varieties," told a Beijing Times reporter yesterday that obtaining these two safety certificates was extremely rigorous. Not only was a 90-day feeding experiment conducted on white mice, but three generations of reproduction experiments were also carried out. The conclusions all showed that eating genetically modified rice was no different from eating ordinary rice.

Lin Yongjun believed that truthfully publishing some basic experimental results would be beneficial for dispelling public doubts, but this should be released by the appraisal party or the Ministry of Agriculture.

Some people raised the point that white mice "eat too little and differ greatly from humans," questioning that the experimental results could not prove safety for human consumption. Lin Yongjun revealed that the Ministry of Agriculture is currently commissioning China Agricultural University to conduct a 90-day feeding experiment on genetically modified rice using small pigs, and has also commissioned the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct a monkey feeding experiment, "belonging to primates, very close to humans."

Lin Yongjun also said that food differs from drugs and does not require human trials before market launch, but he himself has eaten genetically modified rice continuously for 14 years since 1999, and to date his health has been fine.