Fwd: EPA-GMO corn little or no impact on Monarch Butterflies
Richard Worth
rworth at oda.state.or.us
Mon Jul 30 13:52:41 EDT 2001
Hey all,
I thought folks might be interested in this latest release. Seeing
as how this "dead horse" still has involuntary twiches from time to
time, I figured people could beat on it a little more until the
silphids and flies won't even touch it. >;-)
Cheers, Rich
P.S. I thoroughly enjoyed the Lep Soc Meeting and it seems a good
time was had by all.
>
>Subject: biotech articles 7/21-27/01
>
>BIOTECH CORN
>July 24, 2001
>Associated Press.
>Philip Brasher
>ARLINGTON, Va. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was cited as
>saying Tuesday that Bt corn that is genetically engineered to make
>its own pesticide poses little risk to monarch butterflies, and that
>while there is a small chance that one in 100,000 monarch
>caterpillars could be affected by toxic corn pollen, research
>suggests even those larvae will mature into healthy butterflies.
>Zig Vaituzis, an EPA scientist who led a review of the crop's environmental
>impact, was quoted as saying, "The weight of evidence from the reviewed data
>indicate that there is no unreasonable hazard" to Monarchs or other
>wildlife although one possible exception is the karner blue
>butterfly, an endangered species that feeds on lupine plants that
>could show up near corn crops in northern Wisconsin. Agency
>officials were cited as saying they don't know how significant the
>issue is but were consulting with the Fish and Wildlife Service on
>whether to take action to protect the butterflies.
>The story recounts that Bt corn grabbed worldwide attention in 1999 after a
>laboratory study at Cornell University showed that pollen from the
>corn would poison monarch larvae. That finding produced a public
>outcry in Europe and calls from environmental groups to curb the
>spread of genetically engineered crops.
>The story explains that the EPA's conclusion that the corn is
>relatively harmless to monarch populations is based in part on field
>studies coordinated last summer by the Agriculture Department in
>Maryland, Iowa and Minnesota. Data from the studies have not been
>published yet but were turned over to EPA for review.
>The agency has declined to release the data because of
>confidentiality claims by biotech companies involved in the
>research. Agency officials were cited as saying they hoped to
>release the data before the Sept. 30 deadline for renewing the Bt
>corn licenses.
>Critics of the biotech industry said the agency should not renew the
>registrations until it has released the research data and allowed
>the public to review and comment on it.
>Jane Rissler of the Union of Concerned Scientists was cited as saying that
>the two types of Bt corn that are up for renewal -- known in the
>industry as Bt 11 and Mon 810 -- don't appear to produce enough
>toxin to kill monarchs at pollen levels found in corn fields,
>adding, "That's good news for monarchs."
>But she said the agency was not justified in allowing the continued planting
>of a third, more toxic type of Bt corn, developed by Syngenta.
>Syngenta voluntarily dropped the product but has been given until
>2003 to phase out its use.
>On the Net: EPA's biopesticide program:
>http://www.epa.gov/oppbppd1/biopesticides/index.htm
Richard A. Worth
Oregon Department of Agriculture
Plant Division
rworth at oda.state.or.us
(503) 986-6461
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