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Approved-By:  Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>
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Date:         Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:23:51 -0500
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From:         Laurel Hopwood <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in Europe
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http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/business/worldbusiness/23gene.html?th&emc=th
Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in Europe
By James Kanter
November 23, 2007
(Edited)

European Union environmental officials have determined that two kinds 
of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food 
chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed 
a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow 
Agrosciences and Syngenta.

The preliminary decisions are circulating within the European 
Commission, which has the final say.

In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, 
contends that the genetically modified corn, or maize could affect 
certain butterfly species, specifically the monarch, and other 
beneficial insects. For instance, research this year indicates that 
larvae of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically modified 
corn "behave differently than other larvae."

In the decision concerning the corn seeds produced by Dow and 
Pioneer, Mr. Dimas calls "potential damage on the environment 
irreversible." In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that "the 
level of risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the 
environment is unacceptable."

A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the 
genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the 
trade bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over 
genetically modified corn.

In the draft decision, Mr. Dimas said that other studies had since 
come to light on the potential effects of the seeds and that further 
investigation was needed. Barbara Helfferich, a spokeswoman for Mr. 
Dimas, said that the European Union was within its rights to make 
decisions based on the "precautionary principle" even when scientists 
had found no definitive evidence proving products can cause harm.

In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that 
consumption of genetically modified "corn byproducts reduced growth 
and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects" and that these 
insects "are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators" and 
that this could have "unexpected ecosystem-scale consequences."

Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt the 
policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops, said 
Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group with 80 
members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow.

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<!doctype html public "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN">
<html><head><style type="text/css"><!--blockquote, dl, ul, ol, li { padding-top: 0 ; padding-bottom: 0 } --></style><title>Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in
Europe</title></head><body>
<div >http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/23/business/worldbusiness/23gene.html<span ></span>?th&amp;emc=th</div>
<div>Proposed Ban on Genetically Modified Corn in Europe</div>
<div>By James Kanter</div>
<div><font face="Arial">November 23, 2007</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial">(Edited)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>
<div>European Union environmental officials have determined that two
kinds of genetically modified corn could harm butterflies, affect food
chains and disturb life in rivers and streams, and they have proposed
a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made by DuPont Pioneer, Dow
Agrosciences and Syngenta.</div>
<div><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>
<div>The preliminary decisions are circulating within the European
Commission, which has the final say.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas,
contends that the genetically modified corn, or maize could affect
certain butterfly species, specifically the monarch, and other
beneficial insects. For instance, research this year indicates that
larvae of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically modified
corn "behave differently than other larvae."</div>
<div><br>
In the decision concerning the corn seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer,
Mr. Dimas calls "potential damage on the environment irreversible."
In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that "the level of
risk generated by the cultivation of this product for the environment
is unacceptable."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>A decision by the European Union to bar cultivation of the
genetically modified crops would be the first of its kind in the trade
bloc, and would intensify the continuing battle over genetically
modified corn.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>In the draft decision, Mr. Dimas said that other studies had
since come to light on the potential effects of the seeds and that
further investigation was needed. Barbara Helfferich, a spokeswoman
for Mr. Dimas, said that the European Union was within its rights to
make decisions based on the "precautionary principle" even when
scientists had found no definitive evidence proving products can cause
harm.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that
consumption of genetically modified "corn byproducts reduced growth
and increased mortality of nontarget stream insects" and that these
insects "are important prey for aquatic and riparian predators"
and that this could have "unexpected ecosystem-scale
consequences."</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Although still preliminary, his decisions could drastically tilt
the policy against future approvals of genetically modified crops,
said Nathalie Moll, a spokeswoman for Europabio, an industry group
with 80 members including Syngenta, Pioneer and Dow.</div>
<div><br></div>
</body>
</html>
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