The BMA has called for a moratorium on the commercial planting of genetically modified (GM) crops. This should continue until there is a scientific consensus about the potential long term environmental effects.
The association accepts that there are potential benefits of genetically modified foodstuffs, such as reduced food prices, prolonged storage time, and improved nutritional value. Potential risks, however, include the loss of diversity in the gene pool and the chance that widespread crop failure could follow the emergence of a pest with resistance to the specific pest control methods used.
An interim statement, published last week, The Impact of Genetic Modification on Agriculture, Food, and Health, is the result of a request at last year’s annual meeting of the BMA, which called for an examination of the scientific evidence on the impact that genetically modified foodstuffs might have on health in the long term. It is the first report on the subject by a large medical organisation in the United Kingdom.
Because no one knows whether there are any serious risks to the environment or human health from producing crops or eating food that has been genetically modified, the BMA has adopted a precautionary approach and recommends the implementation of a cost benefit and health impact assessment, comparing genetic modification with other agriculture techniques.
The report suggests segregating genetically modified food at source to enable identification and traceability and to facilitate monitoring in the interests of public health. It wants the government to set up a food standards agency soon, give it statutory powers, and charge it with considering the implications of genetically modified food on human health as a priority.
If the industry persists in mixing modified and non-modified products the new agency should consider banning the import of such products or insist that they are labelled to indicate that there is no guarantee that they are not genetically modified.