Amflora

Amflora ( official name EH92 -527- 1, at EU level BPS 25271-9 ) is a genetically modified by BASF Plant Science starch potato variety, which was developed as a renewable resource for the production of potato starch industry. BASF Plant Science is a subsidiary of the German chemical company BASF.

The cultivation approval for Amflora in the EU in 2010 was the first here since 1998 granted approval for genetically modified plants. Following a complaint by Hungary approval in December 2013 was declared by the European Court of Justice annulled.

History

In 1996, the first time an application for approval of Amflora was filed for cultivation. In 2009, the cultivation and use of from the obtained in starch processing residues were approved.

There were public discussions because Amflora contains as a common marker in nature antibiotic resistance. This gives the plant under development in the presence of the antibiotics kanamycin or neomycin a growth advantage over plants that do not bear this marker. According to the EU Deliberate Release Directive commercial genetically modified plants may contain medically important genes for resistance to antibiotics. The European Commission therefore decided in March 2007 to ask for an opinion on the risks of antibiotic resistance to the European Medicines Agency.

On the basis of these reports, which inter alia, to the conclusion that a transfer of the resistance gene from transgenic plants to bacteria is very unlikely, the nptII gene is widespread already in the nature and a lot of the bacteria that or about the gut are found in the environment, already have a resistance to kanamycin and neomycin, the European food Safety authority (EFSA ) confirmed in April 2007 that Amflora for " humans, animals and the environment" was harmless.

On 16 July 2007, EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said that the EU Commission wants Amflora release for industrial use. European Union agriculture ministers could not agree on a previously approved, may. As the authorization for Amflora was filed in 1996, BASF raised in 2008 to the European Court against the EU Commission for the slow approval process for Amflora.

2009, EFSA published a new scientific opinion on the nptII gene, which is present in Amflora in other genetically modified products. EFSA had in the past the use of the gene repeatedly assessed and confirmed again that the said gene is safe and no further scientific investigations are necessary.

On 2 March 2010, the European Commission authorized the cultivation of Amflora for industrial purposes and for feeding. Austria banned the cultivation of Amflora 28 March 2010, Luxembourg on 16 June 2010., The CDU / CSU Parliamentary Group welcomed the EU decision.

In 2010, the potato seed propagation in Mecklenburg -Vorpommern on 15 acres and in Sweden was grown on 80 hectares, in the Czech Republic for commercial purposes on 150 acres.

On the approximately 15 -acre site in German Zepkow (Mecklenburg- Vorpommern), some plants were destroyed by enemies in July 2010. In the night of 7 to 8 July 2010, about one acre and 29 July 20 to 30 more plants were destroyed.

In August 2010, the German Federal Minister of Economics Rainer Brüderle had arrived at the beginning of the potato crop in Zepkow; he was saying that biotechnology was important to the competitiveness of Germany. The BASF subsidiary Plant Science will use the harvested potatoes as seed; it would be sufficient for a 10 - to 15 - times as large as the area of cultivation.

The targeted annual turnover is 20 to 30 million euros, according to the Financial Times Germany.

After announcing on September 6, 2010 that on the acreage in Sweden next Amflora a new and not yet released potato ( Amadea ) was grown under said Mecklenburg -Western Pomerania Agriculture and Environment Minister Till Backhaus the -growing company on September 7, until further notice, bring the potatoes grown in Zepkow on the market. According to the Group, the mixing amount to have on the field in Sweden less than 0.01 percent. Backhaus ' Ministry said that both the already harvested and which are still in the ground as long as potatoes are impounded until the project operator BASF could refute the suspicion of contamination of the Zepkower potatoes. The harvest was continued on 29 September 2010, the potatoes were stored.

To mix the varieties in the Swedish box BASF announced on 28 September 2010 in the result of an investigation, " that it could come to the mixing in northern Sweden, as Amadea and Amflora potatoes were sometimes used in the same premises and there to a confusion came from. " The cultivated in Germany and the Czech Republic potatoes would have been drawn separately.

Against the decision of the EU Commission to authorize the cultivation, have until September 2010 Hungary, Luxembourg and Austria actions before the European Court of Justice filed because the environmental risk assessment of genetically modified organism defective or was not performed properly. In December 2013, the authorization was annulled.

In early 2011 gave BASF announced that it will grow the Amflora on a two-acre farm in Üplingen (Saxony -Anhalt).

Because of the lack of acceptance in Europe, BASF decided in January 2012 to move the headquarters for green genetic engineering in the United States and to terminate the Amfloraprojekt.

Application

The newly developed potato variety is due to a genetic modification of a starch which is made entirely of amylopectin. Thus an optimized use of material for the production of paper, textiles or adhesives is allowed. In conventional strength without genetic engineering is a complicated removal of the second starch polymer, amylose, is required.

Should be grown Amflora after approval in Europe, as here takes place 80 % of the global potato starch production. The most important countries for the cultivation and processing of potato starch are Germany, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Poland and Sweden. The advantages of Amflora should lie in the additionally created value for farmers and starch industry. He is expected to amount to an estimated more than 100 million euros per year. This estimate was based on considerations that the use of Amflora - for example in the manufacture of paper - energy, water and raw materials could save.

Amflora that has been optimized for strength training is edible, but due to their high starch content so floury that it is not suitable for consumption. However, it is assessed according to several opinion of the EFSA as safe for human and animal consumption.

Although the genetically modified potato Amflora was allowed to sit great strength manufacturers from their cultivation. The background is the fear of losing business customers. The acceptance of green genetic engineering is not given sufficient.