According to a new study released September 19th, 2012 and published in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology by a research team from the University of Caen under leadership of Professor Gilles-Eric Séralini, Monsanto’s GM-Corn NK603 was found to cause cancer in lab rats. In a two-year study in which rats were fed genetically manipulated maize, the animals developed tumors as well as damages to liver and kidney.
The study, conducted with a trial group of 200 rats, is the first long-term assessment of health risks from GM corn. It was financed by the Ceres foundation and conducted under strict secrecy. GM corn is a multi-billion dollar business, especially in the US, and seed monopolist Monsanto is the central player. NK603 is a crop that is Roundup-tolerant; Roundup is Monsanto’s brand name for the universal herbicide glyphosate.
France is now thinking of banning NK 603, which cannot be grown under European law but is permitted as animal feed. This would mark a major drawback for Monsanto in Europe.
Sources: Greenpeace Magazin; arte journal website; science.orf.at