Regulating coexistence of GM and non-GM crops without jeopardizing economic incentives

The ongoing debate about the coexistence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops in the European Union (EU) mainly focuses on preventive measures needed to keep the adventitious presence of GM material in non-GM products below established tolerance thresholds, as well as on issues covering questions of liability and the duty to redress the incurred economic harm once adventitious mixing in non-GM products has occurred. By contrast, the interplay between the economic incentives and costs of coexistence has attracted little attention. The current overemphasis on the technical aspects and cost of coexistence over its economic incentives might lead EU policy-makers to adopt too stringent and rigid regulations on coexistence. Therefore, we argue for flexible coexistence regulations that explicitly take into account the economic incentives for coexistence. Our arguments provide a timely and important framework for EU policy-makers, who are currently struggling to implement coherent coexistence regulations in all member states.status: publishe

Transgenic crops: a kaleidoscopic impact analysis

In this interdisciplinary PhD thesis, a kaleidoscopic perspective on the impact of genetically modified (GM) crops and their corresponding agro-food products was presented. By placing some of the impacts resulting from the adoption of the novel agricultural technology in a socio-ethical, legal (part I) and agro-ecological context (part II), light was thrown upon different dimensions of agro-food biotechnology. The agro-ecological part, which is structured around three pertinent case studies, focused on the processes of vertical gene flow and herbicide usage. Based on the facets studied, it was observed that the concept of sustainability has come to occupy a prominent place in the debate about agro-food biotechnology. Therefore, it was investigated whether the adoption of agro-food biotechnology might play a role in constructing a sustainable system of crop production (part III)

Using an oilseed rape x wild/weedy relative gene flow index for the monitoring of transgenic oilseed rape

To estimate the introgressive hybridisation propensity (IHP) between transgenic oilseed rape and certain of its cross-compatible wild/weedy relatives at the landscape level, a conceptual approach was developed. A questionnaire was established enclosing the successive steps to successfully achieve introgressive hybridisation. Each step was described and scored, resulting in an IHP value for each cross-compatible wild/weedy relative. This approach revealed that in Flanders (Belgium) Brassica rapa has the highest IHP value, followed by Hirschfeldia incana, Diplotaxis tenuifolia, Raphanus raphanistrum and Sinapis arvensis. Using these values, monitoring priorities can be defined within the pool of cross-compatible wild/weedy oilseed rape relatives. It is discussed how the numerical quantification may serve as a valuable tool in case-specific monitoring and general surveillance of transgenic oilseed rape

A method to search for optimal field allocations of transgenic maize in the context of co-existence

Spatially isolating genetically modified (GM) maize fields from non-GM maize fields is a robust on-farm measure to keep the adventitious presence of GM material in the harvest of neighboring fields due to cross-fertilizations below the European labeling threshold of 0.9%. However, the implementation of mandatory and rigid isolation perimeters can affect the farmers' freedom of choice to grow GM maize on their fields if neighboring farmers do not concur with their respective cropping intentions and crop plans. To minimize the presence of non-GM maize within isolation perimeters implemented around GM maize fields, a method was developed for optimally allocating GM maize to a particular set of fields. Using a Geographic Information System dataset and Monte Carlo analyses, three scenarios were tested in a maize cultivation area with a low maize share in Flanders (Belgium). It was assumed that some farmers would act in collaboration by sharing the allocation of all their arable land for the cultivation of GM maize. From the large number of possible allocations of GM maize to any field of the shared pool of arable land, the best field combinations were selected. Compared to a random allocation of GM maize, the best field combinations made it possible to reduce spatial co-existence problems, since at least two times less non-GM maize fields and their corresponding farmers occurred within the implemented isolation perimeters. In the selected field sets, the mean field size was always larger than the mean field size of the common pool of arable land. These preliminary data confirm that the optimal allocation of GM maize over the landscape might theoretically be a valuable option to facilitate the implementation of rigid isolation perimeters imposed by law.

The interplay between societal concerns and the regulatory frame on GM crops in the European Union

Recapitulating how genetic modification technology and its agro-food products aroused strong societal opposition in the European Union, this paper demonstrates how this opposition contributed to shape the European regulatory frame on GM crops. More specifically, it describes how this opposition contributed to a de facto moratorium on the commercialization of new GM crop events in the end of the nineties. From this period onwards, the regulatory frame has been continuously revised in order to slow down further erosion of public and market confidence. Various scientific and technical reforms were made to meet societal concerns relating to the safety of GM crops. In this context, the precautionary principle, environmental post-market monitoring and traceability were adopted as ways to cope with scientific uncertainties. Labeling, traceability, co-existence and public information were installed in an attempt to meet the general public request for more information about GM agro-food products, and the specific demand to respect the consumers' and farmers' freedom of choice. Despite these efforts, today, the explicit role of public participation and/or ethical consultation during authorization procedures is at best minimal. Moreover, no legal room was created to progress to an integral sustainability evaluation during market procedures. It remains to be seen whether the recent policy shift towards greater transparency about value judgments, plural viewpoints and scientific uncertainties will be one step forward in integrating ethical concerns more explicitly in risk analysis. As such, the regulatory frame stands open for further interpretation, reflecting in various degrees a continued interplay with societal concerns relating to GM agro-food products. In this regard, both societal concerns and diversely interpreted regulatory criteria can be inferred as signaling a request – and even a quest – to render more explicit the broader-than-scientific dimension of the actual risk analysis

Peyroules, église Saint-Pons

L’ ancienne église Saint-Pons est située à 1 200 m d’altitude, au-dessus du village actuel, aux limites sud-est du département. Le positionnement de l’édifice, isolé sur un piton rocheux du versant sud de la montagne du Teillon, est à mettre en relation avec la proximité du bourg castral de Ville, situé sur un second mamelon rocheux lui faisant face à quelques centaines de mètres au sud. L’ église paroissiale ducastrum de Peirolis n’apparaît pas dans les textes avant le XIIIe s., bien que la mention plus ancienne de l’occupation du site remonte à 1045, date à laquelle il est fait donation à Saint-Victor de Marseille d’une manse in Peirolas. L’ abandon de l’église est consécutif au transfertde la paroisse vers le hameau de la Rivière, actuel chef-lieu du village, en 1830 et à la construction dans la vallée d’une nouvelle église dédiée à sainte Anne. L’ édifice, partiellement ruiné, est inscrit à l’Inventaire supplémentaire des Monuments historiques depuis 2006et plusieurs travaux d’entretien ont été réalisés depuis cette date. L’ objectif de cette étude du bâti était de mieux caractériser les différentes phases de construction afin d’orienter les travaux d’entretien de l’édifice engagés par la commune et placés sous la maîtrise d’oeuvre du STAP des Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Riez, Collège Maxime Javelly

Le site du collège Maxime Javelly se situe en rive gauchedu Colostre, dans une zone de plaine correspondant à lapartie sud-est de la ville antique. Les principales investigationsarchéologiques sur le site remontent à l’année1967, durant laquelle Guy Barruol avait réalisé des sondagesurgents préalablement à la construction du collège.Ils avaient mis en évidence la richesse du secteur,caractérisé par la présence d’un quartier d’habitat et d’unensemble thermal du Haut-Empire, ainsi que d’une areafunéraire de l’Antiquité tardive. Plusieurs campagnesde relevés et de sondages, conduites sous la directionde Philippe Borgard à partir de 2003, ont, depuis lors,confirmé la chronologie générale établie par G. Barruolet étoffé les résultats de ses recherche

Saint-Michel l'Observatoire, église Saint-Pierre

Ce diagnostic a été prescrit préalablement à des travauxde restauration de l’église Saint-Pierre envisagés par laCommunauté de communes de Haute-Provence. Lesobservationssur le bâti, accompagnées par la réalisationde deux sondages au sol dans la nef de l’église, étaientdestinées à préciser la chronologie de la construction età renseigner le potentiel stratigraphique du sous-sol del’édifice. Situé à la périphérie du village médiéval, il n’avaitjamais fait l’objet d’une étude archéologique ou historique