Upon request, ENSSER has advised the Hungarian GMO Round Table, advisory body of the Agricultural and Environmental Committees of the Hungarian Parliament regarding the GM seed contamination that occurred in Hungary, a situation very similar to GM seed contamination in Germany in 2010. The 23rd Meeting of the GMO Round Table held a thematic meeting on August 24, 2011 dedicated to this issue and intended to advise the Hungarian Government on its actions to be taken related to this issue. The statement by ENSSER has been presented at the meeting, it was included in the published report and contributed in formulating the offical statement (Statement N of the GMO Round Table on the GM contamination of maize and soy seeds in 2011).
ENSSER is an independent scientific organization for the critical assessment of existing and emerging technologies. Among several objectives, the aims of ENSSER include the improvement of the quality of basic and regulatory science used in the risk analysis of existing and emerging technologies and their products such as genetically modified organisms, chemicals, food technologies, geo-engineering, nanomaterials, and synthetic biology, including the risk of their military use. Therefore, ENSSER has observed with growing concern the occurrence of commercial seed contamination with a genetically modified (GM) variety in Hungary this year, occurring on 950 hectares with a further 2,500 hectares also affected. ENSSER finds it worriesome that GM contamination occurred at several locations and were reported to come from several foreign producers (Monsanto to a larger and Pioneer Hi-Bred to a smaller extent). Even more alarming is that the case occurred in a country with a moratorium against the GM crop (MON810) applied for authorization.
