Following a court ruling, the Philippines government's permit for planting Golden Rice has recently been revoked. This could impact the research and cultivation of other genetically modified crops in the region.
According to Science magazine, Vitamin A deficiency is a challenging issue in some developing countries, potentially leading to blindness and even death. To address this problem, researchers developed a genetically modified rice variety called Golden Rice, rich in beta-carotene and Vitamin A, decades ago. However, due to opposition to genetically modified crops, Golden Rice has been confined to laboratories and experimental fields.
Statistics show that 15% of infants and children in the Philippines lack Vitamin A. Therefore, in 2021, the Philippines government approved the commercial planting and consumption of Golden Rice, issuing permits for its commercial cultivation. The approved Malusog Rice is a Golden Rice variety suitable for local growing conditions and tastes.
In 2022, Filipino farmers began planting Golden Rice, but in limited quantities. That same year, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) under the Department of Agriculture announced plans to develop and implement large-scale production of Golden Rice seeds and cultivation in priority provinces. Officials aim to have this variety account for 10% of the country's rice production within 8 years to meet the needs of all families suffering from Vitamin A deficiency.
However, in 2022, international organizations filed a lawsuit against the Philippine government regarding the planting of Golden Rice. On April 17th this year, the Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) revoked the permits and halted the expansion plans.
The court concluded that, in the absence of scientific consensus on the safety of Golden Rice for humans and the environment as required by the country's constitution's precautionary principle, the government should not approve its commercial cultivation. Additionally, the government had not established appropriate safety mechanisms for planting and consuming Golden Rice. Therefore, until monitoring programs are in place, the court prohibited new field trials of Golden Rice in greenhouses or open fields.
This decision could also affect PhilRice's ongoing development of genetically modified rice varieties rich in zinc and iron, and impede the cultivation of genetically modified insect-resistant eggplant by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB).
"The court's ruling is a disaster for Golden Rice in the Philippines and beyond," said plant biotechnologist Ingo Potrykus.
Political scientist Antonio Contreras of UPLB believes the court misinterpreted the precautionary principle in its ruling. The principle requires convincing evidence that a proposed solution is cost-effective and environmentally safe, criteria that Malusog Rice meets.
However, the court found the evidence provided by the government's defense lawyers regarding the safety of Golden Rice to be unconvincing.
It is expected that the Philippine government will appeal the decision, seeking a full or partial reconsideration by the court, though the outlook may not be optimistic. Another option for the government is to appeal to the Supreme Court, a process that could take at least two years.
