A Philippine court has sided with environmental activists and banned a genetically modified rice variety that the government hoped would tackle Vitamin A deficiency, a leading cause of childhood blindness in poor countries.
Three years ago the rice-based country became the first in the world to approve the commercial cultivation of so-called golden rice, which differs from conventional rice varieties in that it produces beta-carotene in its kernels, which the body uses to make vitamin A.
But the government’s approval was challenged by small farmers and environmentalists, and an appeals court ruled on April 17 to revoke the rice variety’s biosafety permit, meaning it can no longer be grown commercially.
The ruling, based on natural law – essentially a constitutional right to a healthy environment – could intensify resistance to Golden Rice in Bangladesh, where anti-GMO activists have protested plans to approve the variety for use.
Here’s what you need to know:
What is Golden Rice?
The Philippine Department of Agriculture approved the commercial cultivation of genetically modified varieties in 2021 as part of efforts to combat child malnutrition and has begun distributing seeds to farmers in parts of Southeast Asia.
Golden rice contains beta-carotene, a yellow-orange plant pigment, which means it can double the vitamin A intake of children in the poorest 40 percent of the Philippines’ population and other low-income countries, according to the International Rice Institute, a Philippines-based agricultural research organization.
According to the World Bank, about 17 percent of Philippine children between the ages of six months and five years old suffer from vitamin A deficiency, which is linked to a number of health problems, including childhood blindness, reduced growth rate and resistance to infection.
The International Rice Research Institute and the government’s rice research agency, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), led the country’s promotion of golden rice, named for its color caused by beta-carotene, which is also found in carrots and other orange fruits and vegetables.
Where else is it grown?
Research into the development of Golden Rice began in the 1980s as part of a Rockefeller Foundation initiative that involved scientists from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg.
In the early 2000s, its developers donated one version of the genetically modified variety to poor countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh, where strong opposition from environmental groups had delayed regulatory approval.
In Bangladesh, where one in five children aged six months to five years and about a quarter of pregnant women suffer from vitamin A deficiency, U.S. scientists say the genetically modified varieties could be a cost-effective option for families who can’t afford foods rich in beta-carotene.
“Let’s not take away the opportunity (to reduce vitamin A deficiency) that we haven’t been able to provide before,” said Uttam Deb, an agricultural economist and associate professor at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff in the US.
Golden Rice also has food safety approvals in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, and Deb said studies have shown it is “unlikely to have adverse effects on human health, the environment or agricultural ecosystems”.
People opposed to Golden Rice
In 2022, Philippine farmers and environmentalists who support organic farming filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against the government, alleging that golden rice “risks irreparable damage and risks to the environment, (rice) biodiversity, and human health.”
The complaint was led by Masipag, a network of farmers and agroecology advocates, and environmental group Greenpeace Southeast Asia.
The petitioners alleged that the government had approved biosafety clearance for the crops without conducting proper impact and risk assessments and that the introduction of GMO crops could result in farmers losing their organic farming certification.
Proponents of Golden Rice have previously said the rice variety would not affect organic farming through cross-pollination.
Asked for comment, PhilRice would only say that it was still assessing the impact of the April court ruling.
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