The nationwide survey of GM canola contamination in Japan carried out by citizens in 2012 (see BJ
August 2011 for previous survey) narrowed down the number of locations to be surveyed, as in the previous year, taking 787 samples from locations in 34 prefectures. However, the surprising fact was that the highest number yet of positive samples was found, 121 from 15 prefectures, showing that the contamination is continuing to spread. Including past records and the prefectures in which MAFF surveys have found GM canola contamination, Hokkaido, Aomori and Miyagi, the number of prefectures in which contamination has been discovered has now reached 20.
The characteristic feature of this yearfs survey is that as well as discovering GM canola volunteers where they are likely to be found, as known from previous surveys, contamination was also found to have spread widely to other areas. There were many locations in which GM canola contamination was found for the first time: Hitachinaka City in Ibaraki Prefecture; Kashiwa City, Kamagaya City, and Matsudo City in Chiba Prefecture; Ohtsuki City in Yamanashi Prefecture; Takatsuki City and Suita City in Osaka-fu; Yamato-Kohriyama City and Tawaramoto Town in Nara Prefecture; Hatsukaichi City in Hiroshima Prefecture; Ube City and Shimonoseki City in Yamaguchi Prefecture; Munakata City in Fukuoka Prefecture; Amakusa City in Kumamoto Prefecture; Hioki City in Kagoshima Prefecture, and others.
Intercrossing has become very general, GM canola with tolerance to both Roundup and Basta being found every year. Previously, Roundup-tolerant GM canola was prevalent, but in recent years Basta-tolerant GM canola has been found more often. The majority of positive samples this year were Basta tolerant. The most important reason for this is the spread of Roundup-tolerant weeds, causing an ongoing switch in herbicide from Roundup to Basta.
A survey to find ghiddenh GM canola, those for which samples were negative on the primary test, but showed up positive on the secondary test, was launched this year. The analyses are still continuing, but of 31 samples taken in Fukuoka, Mie and Ibaraki Prefectures, ghiddenh GM canola has been confirmed in five samples taken along National Route 23 in Mie and two samples taken at Hakata Port in Fukuoka.
Table 2. Results of 2012 "GM Canola Volunteers Survey" |
Prefecture | No. of samples | Primary test |
Roundup tolerant | Basta tolerant | Double tolerance |
Ibaraki | 49 | 1 | 7 | |
Chiba | 39 | 2 | 23 | |
Kanagawa | 13 | | 1 | |
Yamanashi | 14 | | 3 | |
Shizuoka | 37 | 1 | 2 | |
Aichi | 40 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Osaka | 53 | | 7 | |
Nara | 25 | | 5 | |
Hyogo | 29 | 1 | 4 | |
Okayama | 17 | | 1 | |
Hiroshima | 8 | | 1 | |
Yamaguchi | 18 | 1 | 4 | |
Fukuoka | 78 | 16 | 26 | 1 |
Kumamoto | 53 | | 4 | |
Kagoshima | 16 | | 2 | |
19 other Prefs | 298 | | | |
TOTAL for 34 Prefs | 787 | 23 | 96 | 2 |
(No. of positive samples: 121) |
Compiled by the NO! GE Foods Campaign |