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Political and Safety Issues to Watch:
June, 2006
GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CORN PRODUCING HERBICIDES IN YOUR GUT?
A widely cultivated variety of genetically engineered corn may be slowly poisoning American consumers. Dupont's Pioneer Liberty Link corn was bioengineered to withstand high levels of the toxic herbicide glufosinate. Enzymes in the plant actually break down the herbicide, making it less toxic to the plant, thereby allowing farmers to apply higher levels of herbicides to the plant and surrounding weeds.
Scientists are now finding that enzymes in the human gut are likely "reactivating" the herbicide within our bodies. A recent study on rats found that 10% of the chemicals were reconverted back to the toxic herbicide within the digestive tract of the animal. Another study on goats found a full 30% of the herbicide was rebuilt in the gut.
Glufosinate is known to cause nerve damage and is a likely endocrine disruptor. Scientists are also concerned that by reactivating the toxic chemical in the digestive tract, it is likely killing off beneficial bacteria necessary for healthy digestion.
Learn more: Organic Consumers of America
Genetically modified DNA taints 3 crops, report says 02/24/04
Organic Consumers website- Contains information on Starlink corn, modified soybeans, cotton, wheat, factory farming, hog birth defects, and lots of other topics related to agriculture and natural foods.
Biotechnology
Link to Purdue University.
Agricultural Biotech Website A huge website devoted to balanced reporting of biotech news and issues.
Pros & Cons of Genetically Modified Crops
Limited germination grain...a crime!!!
Grain has been bio-engineered to only grow one season...the seed will not reproduce. This means that a farmer cannot save seed from his crop to plant the following year; he must buy seed from the seed company. This gets expensive, and tends to limit seed choices. Rotation of varieties is good for crops as it is for soil. Farmers should not be restricted this way. A greater implication is when the "non-reproducing" seed pollinates with regular seed, what is the result?
StarLink Corn
Editorial on corn experience.
News Brief- ASTA Members provide StarLink Testing Verifications: The American Seed Trade Association has informed its members to be prepared to provide farmers with written verification that the corn seed they purchase this year has been tested for the unintentional presence of StarLink (Cry9C protein) and shown negative results meeting or exceeding the USDA's sampling recommendations.
News Brief-EPA released paper on StarLink Wet Milling: EPA announced two actions related to StarLink corn. First, EPA assured the public that the type of split pesticide registration that approved StarLink to be used solely for animal feed will no longer be considered a regulatory option for the products of biotechnology.Secondly, EPA examined how processing affects levels of StarLink in finished food.
It is a follow-up on another EPA Scientific Advisory Panel document on the allergenicity of StarLink.
News Brief-Delegates to the National Farmer's Union 99th anniversary convention adopted a policy regarding genetically modified organisms. The new policy supports ways to ensure the safety of the world's food supply and to protect farmers and ranchers from liabilities due to environmental and health dangers caused by the producers of GMO technology. Included is a provision that would prohibit government regulatory agencies from licensing genetically modified products that are not acceptible for both human consumption and animal feed. Farmers are not to be held liable for food safety, human health or environmental problems including cross-pollination when they follow planting and segregation requirements.
News Brief-USDA Program helps Ensure 2001 Crop Integrity: The USDA announced that it would buy seed corn containing Cry9C or StarLink protein. "This is another important step in a coordinated effort between industry and government to remove Cry9C,..." said Fred Yoder, an Ohio farmer and chairman of NCGA Biotechnology Work Group. "Growers still need to ask for verification of seed tested for Cry9C, and must control volunteer StarLink corn."
EPA Biopesticides site
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