April 23, 1999
CHICAGO, Reuters [WS] via NewsEdge Corporation : Protests about
genetically modified (GM) foods and crops in Europe are feeding fresh
debates as the World Trade Organisation prepares to set an agenda at
talks to open in Seattle later this year.
Meanwhile, with strong U.S. Agriculture Department support, the United
States food system, a trend-setter for international production,
continues to buy into the cost-saving, value-enhancing arguments of GM
technology.
``As these products prove safe, using an independent and objective eye,
we must use their immense potential to wage world war against hunger and
for a sustainable future,´´ U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman
told European farm leaders at East-West Agricultural Forum in Berlin in
January.
Plantings of biotech crops in the United States have exploded as seeds
for three of the main four row crops -- corn, soybeans and cotton --
have become commercially available the last three years. Work on the
fourth, wheat, continues, with drought-resistance a main quality being
``gene engineered.´´
Ag biotech backers say the first phase of products has been aimed at
cost-conscious farmers. GM crops with pest-fighting insecticides built
in save on costs and help the environment, they say, while biodegradable
herbicides like Roundup have fed a ``no-till´´ planting surge,
helping preserve topsoil.
Backers say phase two of biotech crops will build in more ``quality
traits´´ that will appeal to consumers, also making labelling or
``branding´´ of the enhancements necessary.
That direction recognises the fact that livestock and crop production in
the United States is increasingly becoming a ``mother lode´´ for
biochemistry, with its proteins, sugars, fats and carbohydrates broken
down and ``enhanced´´ into far more valuable catalysts for food,
pharmaceutical, energy and fibre industries. These include, for example,
crop-based insulin for diabetics, interferons for cancer therapies, and
vaccines.
Gene-researched applications can now affect animal growth at the enzyme
level, fermentation of beverages, crop resistance to diseases and
insects, lactation, ripening, sweetness, and other food qualities. Not
to mention recent advances with cloning of farm animals, which have
added debates about ethics to the issues of food safety and
environmental effects.
EXAMPLES
Examples of how GM is now in place in the US food system:
Dairy -- ``Bovine somatotropin (BST),´´ also known as bovine growth
hormone (BGH), is a protein produced by cattle. The gene for BST has
been cloned into bacterial cells, a ``recombinant´´ or genetically
engineered version (RBGH) used to boost milk output in dairy herds.
About 30 percent of herds are affected.
A less well-known use of biotech in dairy is the enzyme chymosin, a
GM-derived rennet substitute now used in more than 50 percent of cheese
production in the United States.
Grains -- Almost 35 percent or 27 million acres (10.93 million hectares)
of the number one field crop in U.S, corn, will be planted to GM strains
in 1999, according to industry groups. These include ``Bt´´ corn
altered with genes from a soil-based bacterium, ``bacillus
thuringienis,´´ that fights the European corn borer pest. It also
includes ``Roundup Ready´´ corn that withstands Monsanto´s
Roundup, a popular herbicide worldwide.
New varieties with ``stacked traits´´ -- such as BT plus high corn
oil
yield -- are also being marketed.
Oilseeds - Growers say plantings of Roundup Ready soybeans and other GM
varieties will account for up to 40 million acres (16.19 million
hectares) in the U.S. this year, more than half 1999 acreage in the
fourth year of use. Roundup Ready canola, a rapeseed developed in
Canada, is also marketed in the U.S. and Canada.
Cotton - Bt, Roundup Ready and other GM cotton varieties are expected to
account for more than half of the 14 million acres (5.666 million
hectares) planted in the U.S. this year.
Sugar - Roundup Ready sugarbeets make U.S. debut in 1999.
Potatoes - Monsanto's New Leaf potatoes combat the Colorado potato
beetle through a protein specific to the beetle added to the crop. Virus
resistant traits are also added. Plantings in 1998 accounted for 60,000
acres (24,280 hectares) out of 1.37 million acres (554,400 hectares) of
potatoes planted in the U.S.
(Peter Bohan, Chicago commodities desk(312)408-8720,
chicago.commods.newsroom+reuters.com)
Mark Ritchie, President Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 2105
First Ave. South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA 612-870-3400 (phone)
612-870-4846 (fax) [log in to unmask],   www.iatp.org
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#6 And what about Genetically-Engineered Forests?
GE Trees...what is the downside?
I forwarded an earlier posting of this message, along with a couple
others on the proposed European Commission GE decontamination
procedures, and horizontal gene transfer from pathogenic GE vector
bacteria to human cells (from the BanGEFood list), to the international
List. Forest (mostly forest scientists). An interesting debate has
ensued. One college student asked for more information. Below are some
links I found.
The basic defense of those promoting GE trees is that they will be
engineered for "sterility" and therefore pose no environmental risk. I
have yet to get a response to my questions about whether they will be
using Terminator Technology or Traitor Technology to do this. See the
RAFI pages for information on these technologies.
Karl Davies, Consulting Forester
Northampton, MA
Canadian Forest Service on genetic engineering of trees species
(overview with references):
http://www.nbiap.vt.edu/brarg/brasym95/charest95.htm
Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI) on Terminator
Technology: http://www.rafi.org/misc/terminator.html.   See also
RAFI's homepage at http://www.rafi.org for more general information on
genetic engineering and biodiversity.
Physicians and Scientists for Responsible Application of Science and
Technology (PSRAST) on the dangers of genetically engineered foods:
http://www.psrast.org/indexgen.htm
Dr. Mae-Wan Ho (author of Genetic Engineering: Dream or Nightmare?) on
the inherent dangers of genetic engineering in general:
http://www.psrast.org/mahounho.htm
Dr. Jaan Suurkula of PSRAST on virus hazards associated with GE
products: http://www.psrast.org/virhaz.htm
Investing in Monsanto and other genetic engineering corporations
(riskiness of): http://www.ethicalinvesting.com/monsanto/news/