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Download or read book European Network of GMO Laboratories Working Group "Seed Testing" (WG-ST) Working Group Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Testing seed lots for the unintended presence of genetically modified (GM) seeds is carried out in European Union Member States (MS). The aim of the testing of seeds for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is to test whether GMOs are present in non-GM seed lots. Splitting samples of seeds taken from lots into subsamples, testing for the presence of GM seeds in each subsample, and counting the number of positive subsamples is a suitable method for estimating the proportion of GM seeds impurities with a specified probability. The detection of lower proportions of GM seeds in lots requires the analysis of larger seed samples and larger amounts of DNA. This entails more effort and cost to detect lower quantities of GM seed. A decision to form a Working Group (WG) for "seed testing" (WGST) was taken during the 26th ENGL Steering Committee meeting. The WGST was formed to study the relation between the impurity of GM seed that could be detected and the cost of the analyses required to detect the unintended presence of GM seed in conventional seed lots. The WGST was tasked with producing a report on the issue for the approval of the ENGL Steering Committee. The report would then form the basis of ENGL/EURL advice to the Commission on testing seed samples for the unintended presence of GM seeds for the most important crops. The WG elaborated a statistical model to describe the relation between the impurity level of GMO seeds in seed lots that will, with a high probability, be reliably detected by test plans (the limit of detection) and the cost of the test plans needed to achieve this and effort devoted to the plan.