- Jeremy Sweet has spent the last 40 years conducting research on Crop improvement and plant diseases. Much of this w... moreJeremy Sweet has spent the last 40 years conducting research on Crop improvement and plant diseases. Much of this work was conducted at NIAB Cambridge studying sustainable crop production, integrated disease management, environmental and agronomic impacts of GM crops, and gene flow to crops and wild relatives. He was coordinator of the UK BRIGHT project which studied herbicide tolerance, and he was also coordinator of the European Science Foundation programme “Assessing the Impact of GMOs” that brought together all the major research groups in this area in Europe. He was a coordinator of the EU SIGMEA project analysing data on gene flow and gene impacts and was a participant in the EU CO-EXTRA programme and the BBSRC Gene flow project. He was work package leader in the GRACE EU project on Systematic Reviewing of the impacts of GM plants and is Vice-Chair of the EU COST action iPLANTA studying RNAi in crop improvement and crop protection. He was an advisory Board member of the EU Pegasus project on GM animals, the EU Price Project on coexistence, the DEMETRA Life project, the EU COST Action on GM trees, the ESEGMO project in Finland and he served on the Steering Committee of the Swiss NFP59 programme on GMOs. He was a member of the EFSA GMO Panel for 12 years until 2018, providing scientific opinions on the risks associated with GMO applications in the EU. He has served as chairman of the Environmental, Post Market Environmental Monitoring and GM Fish Working Groups of the EFSA GMO Panel. He was a member of the GM Insects working group and has developed a number of the EFSA Guidance Documents on ERA and risk management. He was a member of the BBSRC/Phyconet Management Board and participated in the ALGEBRA project on GM algae and in an EFSA study of RNAi GM plants. He is an author in over 50 scientific papers on GMOs, numerous plant pathology papers and of 3 books. He developed his own consultancy in 2004 and is director of Sweet Environmental Consultants Lt which provides research and advice on GMO biosafety, gene editing and Plant Health to the European Commission, European governments, FAO/UNIDO/UNEP and scientific organisations and academies of several countries. He lectures on risk assessment of GMOs on postgraduate courses at the Universities of Marche (Ancona) and Ghent, and other training courses for FAO, UNEP, EC and other organisations. He has provided training and other advisory services in European, Asian and S American countries.He was vice–chair of the iPLANTA COST action studying RNAi applications in plant production and protection and is Management Committee member of the PlantEd and Diversicrop COST Actions .edit
Gene flow is the major pathway for transgene escape from crops to their wild relatives (including weedy biotypes). Transgenes that spread to and persist in the environment will probably lead to ecological consequences. Those genes that... more
Gene flow is the major pathway for transgene escape from crops to their wild relatives (including weedy biotypes). Transgenes that spread to and persist in the environment will probably lead to ecological consequences. Those genes that resist biotic and abiotic stresses could considerably enhance ecological fitness of the wild relative species, causing unwanted environmental consequences. If transgenic crop varieties are released into the environment, transgene escape to wild relatives through outcrossing will probably occur. In the origin and diversity centres of crop species and their wild relatives, the possibility of transgene escape to the wild species will be high and, as a consequence, the ecological impact of transgene escape might also be great. It is generally understood that the possible crop to wild transgene escape must satisfy three conditions, these are: (i) spatially, transgenic crops and their wild relatives should have an overlapping distribution and be in close contact; (ii) temporally, the flowering time of transgenic crops and their wild relatives should coincide; and (iii) the transgenic crop and the target wild relative species should have sufficiently close biological relationships and insufficient reproductive barriers. This chapter presents studies of crop to wild gene flow in rice based on data of geographical distribution, flowering habit, interspecific hybridization and gene flow from cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) to its closely related wild relatives, to estimate the opportunity for crop to wild transgene escape. The general expectations of transgenic escape in rice are also discussed in terms of its potential ecological consequences.
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SCIENTIFIC OPINION Application (EFSA-GMO-RX-1507) for renewal of authorisation for the continued marketing of existing products produced from maize 1507 for feed use, under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc./Mycogen Seeds 1 Scientific Opinion of the Panel on Gen...more
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SCIENTIFIC OPINION Applications (EFSA-GMO-RX-MON810) for renewal of authorisation for the continued marketing of (1) existing food and food ingredients produced from genetically modified insect resistant maize MON810; (2) feed consisting... more
SCIENTIFIC OPINION Applications (EFSA-GMO-RX-MON810) for renewal of authorisation for the continued marketing of (1) existing food and food ingredients produced from genetically modified insect resistant maize MON810; (2) feed consisting of and/or containing maize MON810, including the use of seed for cultivation; and of (3) food and feed additives, and feed materials produced from maize MON810, all under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003
Application (EFSA‐GMO‐RX‐MS8‐RF3) for renewal of the authorisation for continued marketing of existing (1) food and food ingredients produced from genetically modified glufosinate‐tolerant oilseed rape Ms8, Rf3 and Ms8 × Rf3, and (2) feed materials produced from genetically modified glufosinate‐t...more
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Gene flow may have very different consequences for the structure of the genetic diversity of populations depending on its direction (symmetric versus asymmetric). If gene flow is symmetric between two or more populations, its effect will... more
Gene flow may have very different consequences for the structure of the genetic diversity of populations depending on its direction (symmetric versus asymmetric). If gene flow is symmetric between two or more populations, its effect will be the reduction of genetic diversity between the populations and an increase in the differences between individuals within each of the populations considered. Alternatively, if gene flow is much higher from one population (source) to another (recipient) than in the reverse direction, the long-term consequence will be the displacement of alleles of the recipient population with the replacement by alleles of the source population, unless there is strong selection against source alleles. Recently, we have used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers to study introgression between wild and domesticated common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Mesoamerica. We have shown by both phenetic and admixture population analysis that gene flow is about three- to fourfold higher from domesticated to wild populations than in the reverse direction. In this work, we review the results obtained in P. vulgaris and we compare them with studies on other species, to understand to what extent asymmetric gene flow is a general phenomenon in the wild-domesticated context, and to investigate the main factors involved. Even if the information available on other crops is insufficient to determine whether asymmetric gene flow and introgression from crops into their wild relatives is a general phenomenon, and whether it may also displace the genetic diversity of the wild population in specific genomic regions, as seems to be the case in the common bean, the data available on genetic differentiation between wild and domesticated populations, the inheritance of the domestication syndrome and the demography of the two types of populations generally suggest that asymmetric gene flow and introgression is the most likely hypothesis to explain the observed patterns of genetic diversity in wild and domesticated populations also in the other crops considered.
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There is a consensus that we need a comprehensive risk assessment of the ecological impacts of genetically modified (GM) plants. However, to date, ecological risk analysis is still in a developmental phase and we do not have the data... more
There is a consensus that we need a comprehensive risk assessment of the ecological impacts of genetically modified (GM) plants. However, to date, ecological risk analysis is still in a developmental phase and we do not have the data available to allow conclusions to be drawn. The reason for this is that so far we have only studied parts of the process. Furthermore, we have to be aware that the bias towards agricultural systems will limit our ability to understand the impacts when GM undomesticated plants, such as forest trees, will be used in natural environments. The only way to improve risk analysis is to gain as much detailed knowledge as possible of the various ecological processes and functional groups of organisms which might be influenced by the introduction of a GM plant. Here, I discuss that we need to focus more on interactions between GM plants, non-modified related species and natural enemies.
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One concern about the use of genetically modified plants is the unintentional spread of new genes from cultivated plants to their wild relatives causing unwanted effects. The ecological and genetic consequences of gene flow depend on the... more
One concern about the use of genetically modified plants is the unintentional spread of new genes from cultivated plants to their wild relatives causing unwanted effects. The ecological and genetic consequences of gene flow depend on the amount and direction of gene flow as well as on the fitness of hybrids. Since wild relatives of cultivated plants are important plant genetic resources, the conservation of wild plants and their biodiversity has become an important task in providing biosafety of transgenic plants. In general, gene flow is hard to control in wind-pollinated plants. A well-studied subject in this respect is the genus Beta. We have shown recently that a century of gene flow from cultivated Beta vulgaris ssp. vulgaris has not altered the genetic diversity of wild B. vulgaris ssp. maritima in the Italian sugarbeet production area. Here, we present evidence of gene introgression from cultivated beet into wild B. vulgaris populations found on the Crimean Peninsula of the Ukraine. Crimean wild beets have two different origins, from European seabeet (B. vulgaris ssp. maritima) or from Beta trigyna. Population level patterns of isozyme variation for wild Crimean seabeets revealed a significantly higher genetic diversity than other European or US populations only in terms of Nei's heterozygosity and Shannon's I. Estimations on gene flow based on a single quantitative marker locus specific for sugarbeet and F-statistics suggest that the level of hybridization and introgression is high for seabeet on the Crimean Peninsula in comparison with other areas in Europe and the USA. Since sugarbeet seed production in the Ukraine offers opportunities for recombinant genes to escape to the wild relative, future consequences of such gene flow must be assessed and should be monitored for the protection of plant genetic resources.
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Research Interests: Biology, Medicine, Floriculture, Cut Flowers, Carnation, and 3 morePetal, EFSA, and Ornamental Plant
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Statement complementing the EFSA Scientific Opinion on application (EFSA‐GMO‐DE‐2011‐95) for the placing on the market of genetically modified maize 5307 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Syngenta Crop Protection AG taking into consideration an ...more
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A questionnaire has been formulated among the participants of the COST action FP0905 “Biosafety of forest transgenic trees” and other scientists in order to collect comments and personal opinions on some general aspects of the impact of... more
A questionnaire has been formulated among the participants of the COST action FP0905 “Biosafety of forest transgenic trees” and other scientists in order to collect comments and personal opinions on some general aspects of the impact of the introduction of transgenic forest trees and on the use of “omics” strategies for environmental risk assessment (ERA). Beyond the personal opinions in perceiving the complexity of the topic, some interesting hints have emerged. Almost all responders agree that important biosafety issues can only be addressed by conducting field releases of transgenic trees. Despite the recent publication of numerous “omics” studies in relation to GM crop assessment, large-scale methods that can be internationally certified and accepted are presently not available.
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In November 2010, the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a Scientific Opinion (SO) that delivers guidance on the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically... more
In November 2010, the Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a Scientific Opinion (SO) that delivers guidance on the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) plants. Beside the ERA SO, the EFSA GMO Panel developed a separate SO that provides specific guidance for the evaluation of potential adverse effects of GM plants on non-target organisms (NTOs). This paper describes some elements of the ERA SO and NTO SO pertaining to NTO risk assessment, with a focus on: (1) problem formulation; (2) protection goals and limits of concern; (3) intended and unintended effects; (4) species selection for testing purposes; and (5) stacked transformation events. Some scientific comments from EU Member States and stakeholders received during the development of both documents through public consultations are also presented.
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Just over 20 years since the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism was unraveled in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , the first RNAi-based pest control applications are close to commercialization. One of the most alluring aspects of this... more
Just over 20 years since the RNA interference (RNAi) mechanism was unraveled in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , the first RNAi-based pest control applications are close to commercialization. One of the most alluring aspects of this technology is its predicted minimal impact on the environment, due to high target selectivity and the short persistence of the active molecules in the environment. However, gaps of knowledge on the RNAi mechanism in many species and their implications for biosafety still exist. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of the research conducted in this field. We discuss potential in planta and topical application methods in the field and their consequences regarding potential exposure in different non-target organisms (NTOs). While RNAi is assumed to be highly species selective, due to its sequence-guided mode of action, dsRNA design will determine how selective a product is. We also discuss molecular and cellular mechanisms affecting RNAi efficacy and how these could become a basis for the emergence of resistance against RNAi-based control products and highlight the need for resistance management. Finally, we briefly discuss recommendations for environmental risk assessment (ERA), such as the value of bioinformatics and the development of properly designed bioassays to predict effects in NTOs or to select NTOs for informing ERA.
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Genetically modified (GM) maize MON810 expresses a Cry1Ab insecticidal protein, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ), toxic to lepidopteran target pests such as Ostrinia nubilalis . An environmental risk to non-target Lepidoptera... more
Genetically modified (GM) maize MON810 expresses a Cry1Ab insecticidal protein, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis ( Bt ), toxic to lepidopteran target pests such as Ostrinia nubilalis . An environmental risk to non-target Lepidoptera from this GM crop is exposure to harmful amounts of Bt -containing pollen deposited on host plants in or near MON810 fields. An 11-parameter mathematical model analysed exposure of larvae of three non-target species: the butterflies Inachis io (L.), Vanessa atalanta (L.) and moth Plutella xylostella (L.), in 11 representative maize cultivation regions in four European countries. A mortality–dose relationship was integrated with a dose–distance relationship to estimate mortality both within the maize MON810 crop and within the field margin at varying distances from the crop edge. Mortality estimates were adjusted to allow for physical effects; the lack of temporal coincidence between the susceptible larval stage concerned and the period over which maiz...
Research Interests: Entomology, Biology, Ecology, Plant biotechnology, Environmental Risk Assesment, and 15 moreMedicine, Lepidoptera, Biological Sciences, Butterflies, Bacillus thuringiensis, Pollen, Maize, Animals, Mathematical Model, Crop, Biological Pest Control, Pyralidae, Endotoxins, Ostrinia, and Medical and Health Sciences
... Pink (s) Sonia (s) Dr Vechage (s) Roseiandia (s) Carina 5 SW Superstar 8 Forever Yours 7 *Baccara 11 Carina 4 Sonia 7 NE *DrVerliagell Carole D3 Forever yoors Dll if. chinensis major RS Baccara HI Baccara H2 R. chinensis major RS... more
... Pink (s) Sonia (s) Dr Vechage (s) Roseiandia (s) Carina 5 SW Superstar 8 Forever Yours 7 *Baccara 11 Carina 4 Sonia 7 NE *DrVerliagell Carole D3 Forever yoors Dll if. chinensis major RS Baccara HI Baccara H2 R. chinensis major RS Baccara A Baccara B R. manetti—RS ...
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Scientific opinion on application EFSA‐GMO‐BE‐2013‐118 for authorisation of genetically modified maize MON 87427 × MON 89034 × 1507 × MON 88017 × 59122 and subcombinations independently of their origin, for food and feed uses, import and processing submitted under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 by ...more
Statement complementing the EFSA Scientific Opinion on application (EFSA‐GMO‐DE‐2011‐95) for the placing on the market of genetically modified maize 5307 for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Syngenta Crop Protection AG taking into consideration an ...more
Scientific Opinion on an application (EFSA-GMO-NL-2009-65) for the placing on the market of insect resistant and herbicide tolerant genetically modified maize MON 89034 × 1507 × NK603 and all sub-combinations of the individual events as... more
Scientific Opinion on an application (EFSA-GMO-NL-2009-65) for the placing on the market of insect resistant and herbicide tolerant genetically modified maize MON 89034 × 1507 × NK603 and all sub-combinations of the individual events as present in its segregating progeny, for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto 1
SCIENTIFIC OPINION Application (Reference EFSA-GMO-NL-2007-37) for the placing on the market of the insect-resistant genetically modified maize MON89034, for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003... more
SCIENTIFIC OPINION Application (Reference EFSA-GMO-NL-2007-37) for the placing on the market of the insect-resistant genetically modified maize MON89034, for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 from Monsanto1
This book contains a series of chapters reviewing the current scientific knowledge on RNAi, methods for developing RNAi systems in transgenic plants and a range of applications for crop improvement, crop production and crop protection.... more
This book contains a series of chapters reviewing the current scientific knowledge on RNAi, methods for developing RNAi systems in transgenic plants and a range of applications for crop improvement, crop production and crop protection. Some chapters examine both endogenous systems in transgenic plants and exogenous systems where interfering RNAs are applied to target plants, pests and pathogens. The biosafety of these different systems is examined and methods for risk assessment for food, feed and environmental safety are discussed. Finally, aspects of the regulation of technologies exploiting RNAi and the socioeconomic impacts of RNAi technologies are discussed.
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Growing global demands for food, bioenergy, and specialty products, along with the threat posed by various environmental changes, present substantial challenges for agricultural production. Agricultural biotechnology offers a promising... more
Growing global demands for food, bioenergy, and specialty products, along with the threat posed by various environmental changes, present substantial challenges for agricultural production. Agricultural biotechnology offers a promising avenue for meeting these challenges; however, ethical and sociocultural concerns must first be addressed, to ensure widespread public trust and uptake. To be effective, we need to develop solutions that are ethically responsible, socially responsive, relevant to people of different cultural and social backgrounds, and conveyed to the public in a convincing and straightforward manner. Here, we highlight how ethical approaches, principled decision-making strategies, citizen-stakeholder participation, effective science communication, and bioethics education should be used to guide responsible use of agricultural biotechnology.
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Scientific Opinion on an application by Syngenta (EFSA‐GMO‐DE‐2009‐66) for placing on the market of herbicide tolerant and insect resistant maize Bt11 × MIR162 × MIR604 × GA21 and subcombinations independently of their origin for food and feed uses, import and processing under Regulation (EC) No ...more
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This document provides guidance for the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) plants submitted within the framework of Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003 on GM food and feed or under Directive 2001/18/EC on the... more
This document provides guidance for the environmental risk assessment (ERA) of genetically modified (GM) plants submitted within the framework of Regulation (EC) No. 1829/2003 on GM food and feed or under Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This document provides guidance for assessing potential effects of GM plants on the environment and the rationales for the data requirements for a comprehensive ERA of GM plants. The ERA should be carried out on a case-by-case basis, following a step-by-step assessment approach. This document describes the six steps for the ERA of GM plants, as indicated in Directive 2001/18/EC, starting with (1) problem formulation including hazard identification; (2) hazard characterisation; (3) exposure characterisation; (4) risk characterisation; (5) risk management strategies; and (6) an overall risk evaluation. The scientific Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA GMO Panel) considers seven specific areas of concern to be addressed by applicants and risk assessors during the ERA (1) persistence and invasiveness of the GM plant , or its compatible relatives, including plant-to-plant gene transfer ; (2) plant-to-microorganism gene transfer; (3) interaction of the GM plant with target organisms and (4) interaction of the GM plant with non-target organisms, including criteria for selection of appropriate species and relevant functional groups for risk assessment; (5) impact of the specific cultivation, management and harvesting techniques; including consideration of the production systems and the receiving environment(s); (6) effects on biogeochemical processes; and (7) effects on human and animal health. Each specific area of concern is considered in a structured and systematic way following the above-mentioned steps (1 to 6). In addition, the guidance document is supplemented with several general cross-cutting considerations (e.g. choice of comparator, receiving environment(s), general statistical principles, long-term effects) that need to be considered in the ERA.
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1. In farmland biodiversity, a potential risk to the larvae of non-target Lepidoptera from genetically modified (GM) Bt-maize expressing insecticidal Cry1 proteins is the ingestion of harmful amounts of pollen deposited on their host... more
1. In farmland biodiversity, a potential risk to the larvae of non-target Lepidoptera from genetically modified (GM) Bt-maize expressing insecticidal Cry1 proteins is the ingestion of harmful amounts of pollen deposited on their host plants. A previous mathematical model of exposure quantified this risk for Cry1Ab protein. We extend this model to quantify the risk for sensitive species exposed to pollen containing Cry1F protein from maize event 1507 and to provide recommendations for management to mitigate this risk. 2. A 14-parameter mathematical model integrating small-and large-scale exposure was used to estimate the larval mortality of hypothetical species with a range of sensitivities, and under a range of simulated mitigation measures consisting of non-Bt maize strips of different widths placed around the field edge. 3. The greatest source of variability in estimated mortality was species sensitivity. Before allowance for effects of large-scale exposure, with moderate within-crop host-plant density and with no mitiga-tion, estimated mortality locally was <10% for species of average sensitivity. For the worst-case extreme sensitivity considered, estimated mortality locally was 99AE6% with no mitigation, although this estimate was reduced to below 40% with mitigation of 24-m-wide strips of non-Bt maize. For highly sensitive species, a 12-m-wide strip reduced estimated local mortality under 1AE5%, when within-crop host-plant density was zero. Allowance for large-scale exposure effects would reduce these estimates of local mortality by a highly variable amount, but typically of the order of 50-fold. 4. Mitigation efficacy depended critically on assumed within-crop host-plant density; if this could be assumed negligible, then the estimated effect of mitigation would reduce local mortality below 1% even for very highly sensitive species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Mitigation measures of risks of Bt-maize to sensitive larvae of non-target lepidopteran species can be effective, but depend on host-plant densities which are in turn