Manila, Philippines - The Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), the Philippine agency regulating GM crops, views with great concern the report of Dr. Terje Traavik of Norway on the alleged link of Bt corn to illness and increased immunologic response to Bt protein among 39 farmers in Mindanao. The immunologic response to Bt protein could have been caused by the handling of soils by these farmers because Bt is abundant in Philippine soils. Bt protein is not present in the pollen of the approved Bt corn variety, the pollen is the alleged source of the claimed immunologic response.

The BPI has made a thorough review of the safety of Bt corn to human and animals. No toxic or allergenic effect is associated with the approved Bt corn variety. The Bt protein in Bt corn becomes pesticidal only inside the gut of the larva of butterflies and their relatives. Contrary to claims made by these same farmers, Bt corn does not emit unusual odor during flowering.

Nowhere has any adverse human health effect of the Bt corn been reported by countries planting Bt corn in millions of hectares. In 2003, more than 10,000 hectares have been planted to Bt corn in the Philippines by thousands of farmers. No one of these thousands of Bt corn farmers has reported a similar incident claimed in the press by Dr. Traavik. Nonetheless, the BPI enjoins Dr. Traavik to formally submit his data for thorough evaluation. The Department of Agriculture regulations provide that BPI revisits the risk assessment of approved GM crops upon receipt of any new information.

Meantime, the BPI enjoins Dr. Traavik from making public announcement on what he admits as inconclusive results which apparently is causing unwarranted public panic. (Philippines Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Plant Industry Biotechnology Core Team)