In a message dated 3/26/2011 6:11:03 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
We know that turning corn into ethanol makes no sense from a global
warming perspective – it’s using a third of America’s corn crop, hurting the
land and waterways, and saving almost no gasoline. It has had the effect
of driving up food prices – but farmers may lose from the introduction of a
new genetically engineered corn, designed especially to be turned into
fuel, as it may harm marketability of the two-thirds of the crop destined for
food or feed. The following press release from our ally Center for Food
Safety sums up the situation well.
Jim Diamond / Sierra Club Genetic Engineering Activist Team
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
World’s First Genetically Engineered Biofuels Corn Threatens Contamination
Of Food-Grade Corn
Washington, D.C. – February 11, 2011 –
Impacts on Human Health, Environment, and Farmers Not Fully Assessed
DESPITE RISING GLOBAL FOOD PRICES, OBAMA ADMINISTRATIONCONTINUES MISGUIDED
BIOFUELS AGENDA
The Center for Food Safety criticized an announcement today by the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will approve the world’s first
genetically engineered (GE) crop designed specifically for biofuel production.
The Center maintains that this GE “biofuels corn” will contaminate
food-grade corn, and has not been properly assessed for potential adverse effects
on human health, the environment, or farmers’ livelihoods.
“The USDA has once again put the special interests of the biotechnology
and biofuels industries above the clear risks to our nation’s food system,”
said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. “
The Obama Administration is well aware of the costly effects that Starlink
corn contamination had on farmers and the food industry, and now it is
poised to repeat the same mistake.”
The GE corn – known as Event 3272 – is genetically engineered to contain
high levels of a heat-resistant and acid-tolerant enzyme derived from
exotic, marine microorganisms. The enzyme breaks down starches into sugars, the
first step in conversion of corn to ethanol, and has not been adequately
assessed for its potential to cause allergies, a key concern with new biotech
crops. In fact, leading food allergists consulted by CFS indicated that
Syngenta’s assessment of the potential allergenicity of this enzyme was
inadequate, and called for more careful evaluation. Agronomists suggest that
unharvested corn will deposit large quantities of this enzyme in the soil,
which could adversely affect soil carbon cycling. At present, ethanol plants
add a different and familiar version of this enzyme to accomplish the same
purpose. The corn was developed by Syngenta, the Swiss agrichemical and
biotechnology firm.
“Syngenta’s biofuels corn will inevitably contaminate food-grade corn,
and could well trigger substantial rejection in our corn export markets,
hurting farmers” said Bill Freese, science policy analyst at the Center for
Food Safety
Though this industrial corn is supposed to be used only for domestic
ethanol plants, Syngenta has sought import approvals in nations to which the
U.S. exports corn. These approvals are being sought because Syngenta knows
that food-grade corn shipments will inevitably be contaminated with Event
3272, and hopes to thereby avoid liability for such episodes. While some
markets have granted import approvals, South Africa denied import clearance on
health grounds in 2006. Whatever the import policies of governments, corn
traders might well test and reject U.S. corn supplies contaminated with
industrial corn that contains a potentially allergenic enzyme.
USDA acknowledges that serious concerns about food system contamination
remain, yet deregulated the GE corn anyway, citing a Syngenta-led “advisory
council” and so-called “closed-loop” system for amylase corn. That Syngenta
“invited USDA to participate” in this Council is not consoling to
farmers, consumers or food companies who remember the Starlink corn debacle. In
addition, Syngenta’s capacity for and commitment to stewardship are called
into question by past mishaps. From 2001 to 2004, the company accidentally
sold seed of an unapproved GE corn variety (Bt10) to American farmers, a
variety which contained an antibiotic-resistance marker gene for resistance to
ampicillin, an important human antibiotic, presenting the risk of
exacerbating the serious medical problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
“The resemblance to StarLink is uncanny,” continued Freese. “Much like
StarLink, Syngenta’s biofuels corn poses allergy concerns and is not meant
for human food use. It’s hard to believe that USDA has forgotten the
substantial harm StarLink caused to farmers and the US food industry, but
apparently it has.”
StarLink was a GE corn variety approved only for animal feed and
industrial use because leading food allergists thought it might cause food allergies
if used in human foods. Despite measures to keep StarLink separate from
food-grade corn, it contaminated the human food supply in 2000-2001. Hundreds
reported allergic reactions they believe were linked to StarLink. Food
companies recalled over 300 corn-based products, export markets sent back
StarLink-contaminated corn shipments, and farmers suffered substantial economic
losses as a result. Seventeen state Attorneys General sued StarLink’s
developer, Aventis CropScience, to partially recover damages.
The Center also believes it is irresponsible to engineer corn for fuel use
at a time when massive diversion of corn to ethanol has played a
significant role in raising food prices and thus exacerbating world hunger. Leading
food experts have blamed excessive conversion of corn to ethanol for
exacerbating the world food crisis by driving up prices of corn and other
staples. The World Bank reported an 83% rise in food prices from 2005 to 2008, and
estimates that 100 million additional people have been pushed into hunger
and poverty as a result. USDA data show that 23% of US corn (3 billion
bushels) was converted to ethanol in 2007, jumping to over 30% (3.7 billion
bushels) in 2008, with further increases expected as more ethanol refineries
are constructed.
The Center is currently reviewing all materials related to today’s
decision and is planning litigation.
# # #
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