Suchergebnisse

This review, which has been prepared within the frame of the European Union (EU)-funded project MARLON,surveys the organisation and characteristics of specific livestock and feed production chains (conventional, organic, GM-free) within the EU, with an emphasis on controls, regulations, traceability, and common production practices. Furthermore, an overview of the origin of animal feed used in the EU as well as an examination of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed is provided. From the data, it shows that livestock is traceable at the herd or individual level, depending on the species. Husbandry practices can vary widely ac-cording to geography and animal species, whilst controls and checks are in place for notifiable diseases and general health symptoms (such as mortality, disease, productive performance). For feeds, it would be possible only to make coarse estimates, at best, for the amount of GM feed ingredients that an animal is exposed to.Labeling requirements are apparently correctly followed. Provided that confounding factors are taken into ac-count, practices such as organic agriculture that explicitly involve the use of non-GM feeds could be used for comparison to those involving the use of GM feed.

This report is the outcome of an EFSA procurement (OC/EFSA/GMO/2015/02) which aims at reviewing relevant scientific information on RNA interference (RNAi) that could serve as baseline information for the environmental risk assessment of RNAi‐based genetically modified (GM) plants. The report is based on a systematic literature search on the use of RNAi molecules in arthropods, nematodes, annelids and molluscs with dsRNA, siRNA and miRNA applied primarily through feeding and soaking (oral ingestion). The numbers of retrieved publications covering these areas are reported, along with the species name, life stages tested, the target gene and its function, details of the test substances and their concentrations used, methods of delivery and effects. Separate sections discuss the available information on: (1) the uptake and systematic spread of RNAi activity, including a description of the various components involved in this process; (2) the mechanisms of dsRNA‐,
siRNA‐ and miRNA‐elicited gene silencing and the different factors involved in RNAi efficiency; (3) routes of exposure of the biotic and abiotic environment to dsRNA, siRNA and miRNA from GM plants; (4) the environmental fate of dsRNA, siRNA and miRNA; and (5) the various factors that may limit non‐target effects including exposure, factors influencing the silencing efficiency of dsRNA, siRNA and miRNA, possible unintended and off‐target effects, and their mechanisms. Finally, an overview of the species of arthropods, nematodes, annelids and molluscs for which genomic data are available is also presented. The report identifies some of the challenges involved in developing plants with RNAi systems which affect invertebrate gene expression. The report also concludes that, currently, knowledge on issues such as exposure, specificity, offtarget effects, sequence similarities and bioinformatics is very limited, as only a few RNAi expressing plants which specifically target
invertebrate species have been developed and comprehensively studied.

This is the accepted manuscript of the paper "Surveying selected European feed and livestock production chains for features enabling the case-specific post-market monitoring of livestock for intake and potential health impacts of animal feeds derived from genetically modified crops", published as final paper in "Food and Chemical Toxicology Volume 117, 2018, Pages 66-78 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2017.10.004". Abstract: This review, which has been prepared within the frame of the European Union (EU)-funded project MARLON, surveys the organisation and characteristics of specific livestock and feed production chains (conventional, organic, GM-free) within the EU, with an emphasis on controls, regulations, traceability, and common production practices. Furthermore, an overview of the origin of animal feed used in the EU as well as an examination of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed is provided. From the data, it shows that livestock is traceable at the herd or individual level, depending on the species. Husbandry practices can vary widely according to geography and animal species, whilst controls and checks are in place for notifiable diseases and general health symptoms (such as mortality, disease, productive performance). For feeds, it would be possible only to make coarse estimates, at best, for the amount of GM feed ingredients that an animal is exposed to. Labeling requirements are apparently correctly followed. Provided that confounding factors are taken into account, practices such as organic agriculture that explicitly involve the use of non-GM feeds could be used for comparison to those involving the use of GM feed. ; This study was carried out as part of the MARLON project ("Monitoring of Animals for Feed-Related Risks in the Long Term") financially supported by the 7th Framework Program of the European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7), Grant Agreement no. 312031.

This review, which has been prepared within the frame of the European Union (EU)-funded project MARLON, surveys the organisation and characteristics of specific livestock and feed production chains (conventional, organic, GM-free) within the EU, with an emphasis on controls, regulations, traceability, and common production practices. Furthermore, an overview of the origin of animal feed used in the EU as well as an examination of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in feed is provided. From the data, it shows that livestock is traceable at the herd or individual level, depending on the species. Husbandry practices can vary widely according to geography and animal species, whilst controls and checks are in place for notifiable diseases and general health symptoms (such as mortality, disease, productive performance). For feeds, it would be possible only to make coarse estimates, at best, for the amount of GM feed ingredients that an animal is exposed to. Labeling requirements are apparently correctly followed. Provided that confounding factors are taken into account, practices such as organic agriculture that explicitly involve the use of non-GM feeds could be used for comparison to those involving the use of GM feed. ; info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion

The spatial distribution and niche differentiation of three closely related species (Erysiphe alphitoides, Erysiphe quercicola and Erysiphe hypophylla) causing oak powdery mildew was studied at scales ranging from the European continent, where they are invasive, to a single leaf. While E. alphitoides was dominant at all scales, E. quercicola and E. hypophylla had restricted geographic, stand and leaf distributions. The large-scale distributions were likely explained by climatic factors and species environmental tolerances, with E. quercicola being more frequent in warmer climates and E. hypophylla in colder climates. The extensive sampling and molecular analyses revealed the cryptic invasion of E. quercicola in nine countries from which it had not previously been recorded. The presence of the three species was also strongly affected by host factors, such as oak species and developmental stage. Segregation patterns between Erysiphe species were observed at the leaf scale, between and within leaf surfaces, suggesting competitive effects. ; Part of the analyses were performed at the Genome Transcriptome Facility of Bordeaux (grants from the Conseil Régional d'Aquitaine n°20030304002FA and 20040305003FA, from the European Union FEDER n°2003227 and from Investissements d'Avenir ANR-10-EQPX-16-01). Funding was obtained through the European BiodivERsA project "RESIPATH: Responses of European Forests and Society to Invasive Pathogens" co-financed by national funds (ANR-13-EBID-0005-01 for France, Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation Ref. BIODIVERSA/0002/2012). Other grants came from the ANR (France) Funfit project (ANR-13-BSV7-0011), the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Nos. 16K07613 and16F16097), and the Slovak Research and Development Agency under the contract No. APVV-15-0210.