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The hazards of pharm crops (July 11, 2002 -- CropChoice news) -- The following is from a press release.
A coalition of consumer and environmental groups called on
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today to prohibit a new class of
genetically engineered food crops that threatens to contaminate the food
supply much the way StarLink genetically engineered corn did in September
2000. In a letter to the USDA, the coalition called for an end to open air
cultivation of crops engineered to produce prescription drugs or industrial
chemicals. The new crops, already planted in over 300 field trials at
secret locations nationwide, include plants that produce an
abortion-inducing chemical, growth hormones, a blood clotter, and trypsin,
an allergenic enzyme. The coalition proposed that the USDA permit only
contained cultivation of non-food plants under the same controlled
circumstances as other drug production.
"Just one mistake by a biotech company and we'll be eating other people's
prescription drugs in our corn flakes," said Larry Bohlen, Director of
Health and Environment Programs at Friends of the Earth, a member of the
coalition. "The USDA should prohibit the planting of food crops engineered
with drugs and chemicals to protect the food supply from contamination."
The National Academy of Sciences warns: "…it is possible that crops
transformed to produce pharma- ceutical or other industrial compounds might
mate with plantations grown for human consumption, with the unanticipated
result of novel chemicals in the human food supply." And the editors of
Nature Biotechnology recently warned: "Current gene-containment strategies
cannot work reliably in the field." A contamination incident may already
have occurred as one biotech company official noted at an
government-industry conference that: "We've seen it on the vaccine side
where modified live seeds have wandered off and have appeared in other
products."
In a new report released today, the Genetically Engineered Food Alert
coalition details the threats that biopharm crops pose, the extent to which
they have been planted across the U.S., the failure of regulatory agencies
to serve the public, and a set of recommendations. The report, entitled
"Manufacturing Drugs and Chemicals in Crops: Biopharming Poses New Threats
to Consumers, Farmers, Food Companies and the Environment," may be found at
www.gefoodalert.org.
The majority of engineered biopharmaceuticals and chemicals are in corn, a
prolific pollinator. ProdiGene, the company with the most plantings of
drug and chemical-producing plants, projects that 10% of the corn crop will
be devoted to biopharm production by 2010. StarLink corn, planted on less
than 1% of total US corn acreage, contaminated hundreds of food products
and corn seed stock with a potentially allergenic protein despite the use
of gene containment measures. Far from supporting containment strategies
such as buffer areas, Anthony Laos, ProdiGene's CEO, wrote farmers in 2001
that: "We will be dealing with these distances until we can gain regulatory
approval to lessen or abandon these requirements altogether." Some
companies also propose extracting drugs or chemicals from plants, then
selling the remainder. Incomplete extraction would mean drugs or chemicals
in food or feed.
"Farmers cannot afford another contamination incident hurting sales and
throwing the harvest into turmoil like StarLink did in 2000" said Matt
Rand, Biotechnology Campaign Manager at the National Environmental Trust.
ABOUT THE GE FOOD ALERT COALITION AND GEFoodAlert.org
Genetically Engineered Food Alert founding members include: Center for Food
Safety, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy,
National Environmental Trust, Organic Consumers Association, Pesticide
Action Network North America, and the State Public Interest Research Groups.
Genetically Engineered Food Alert supports the removal of genetically
engineered ingredients from grocery store shelves unless they are
adequately safety tested and labeled. The campaign provides web-based
opportunities for individuals to express concern about genetically
engineered food and fact sheets on health, environmental and economic
information about genetically engineered food. The coalition is endorsed
by more than 250 scientists, religious leaders, doctors, chefs,
environmental and health leaders, as well as farm groups.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL AVAILABLE ON WEB
The executive summary, the full report, the letter with recommendations to
USDA and a link to the ProdiGene statement are located at: http://www.gefoodalert.org
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