Guest guest Posted March 21, 2002 Report Share Posted March 21, 2002 The Campaign <information wrote: The Campaign angelprincessjo ACTION ALERT: E-mail the USDA Tue, 19 Mar 2002 04:11:02 PST News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods ---- Dear Health Freedom Fighters, The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comments on a new genetically engineered corn Monsanto is trying to get approved for commercial growing. The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods is launching an ACTION ALERT to oppose the USDA granting this approval to Monsanto. Further, we are using this opportunity to ask the USDA to place a moratorium on the planting of ALL genetically engineered corn: http://www.thecampaign.org/cornalert0302.htm Monsanto has petitioned the USDA seeking a determination of " nonregulated " status for their new genetically engineered corn designated as Event MON 863. This biotech corn has been genetically engineered for insect resistance by splicing the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) into the cell structure of the plant. Other genetically engineered corn and cotton plants that contain the Bt bacterium are already being commercially grown. The use of Bt in these crops poses several environmental risks and is a direct threat to organic agriculture. Genetically engineered Bt crops, including this new strain of corn from Monsanto, may be deadly to insects and to the birds that eat those insects. And there are potential risks to human health, although this has not yet been proven for this particular strain of Bt corn. Another strain of Bt corn called StarLink was found to have the potential to cause allergies in humans. StarLink corn was only approved for cattle feed, but the weak regulations in place in the United States were not adequate and StarLink corn contaminated hundreds of products sold for human consumption. A DIRECT THREAT TO ORGANIC AGRICULTURE Bacillus thuringiensis is a soil bacterium that is sometimes used by organic farmers as a spray to combat insect infestations. In the spray form, it kills the insects and then quickly dissipates so no residues are present in the product when harvested. With the genetically engineered corn, Bt is present throughout the life of the plant, all the way to the dinner table or into the livestock feed. The pollen from genetically engineered Bt corn is powerful enough to kill the caterpillars of the Monarch butterflies. It can also destroy soil bacteria since Bt is also released out of the root structure. Overexposure to Bt can cause insects to develop immunity and render it useless. So the widespread use of genetically engineered Bt crops is very likely to cause organic farmers to lose the use of Bt spray as an effective weapon to combat insect infestations. Further, the pollen from genetically engineered corn is blowing into organic corn fields destroying the purity of the organic corn. The Campaign has a previous ACTION ALERT still in effect on the issue of organic corn contamination from genetically engineered corn pollen. We are asking people to contact Senator Tom Harkin asking him to hold Senate Agriculture Committee hearings on this issue. If you have not yet participated in the ACTION ALERT to Senator Harkin, you can do so at the following web page: http://www.thecampaign.org/harkin-alert.htm It is not just speculation that organic corn can be contaminated from the pollen of genetically engineered corn. Further evidence comes from a new report by the European Environment Agency that indicates oilseed rape (canola), sugar beet and maize (corn) have a medium or high likelihood of transferring genetic material. Please participate in this ACTION ALERT to the USDA and ask your friends and associates to also participate. Comments are being accepted until May 13th. E-mail is the best way to send your comments to the USDA for this ACTION ALERT: http://www.thecampaign.org/cornalert0302.htm Note: When commenting to government agencies during a public comment period such as this ACTION ALERT to the USDA, e-mail is perfectly okay and is equally as effective as letters sent by U.S. Mail. However, when communicating with members of Congress, letters sent by U.S. Mail are far more effective than sending e-mail. Letters mailed to members of Congress have far greater psychological impact and get much more attention than e-mail. But e-mail is the quickest and easiest way to communicate with government agencies during public comment periods. Posted below are three items. The first article titled " Monsanto seeks USDA approval for new Bt corn " will provide further background information. The second article titled " GM crops pose risk to organic farms -EU scientists " discusses the new report from the European Environment Agency. The third item is the Federal Register notice about the public comment period for Monsanto's new genetically engineered Bt corn. This is pretty dry reading, but is provided for those of you who would like to see the official announcement of the comment period in the Federal Register. Again, comments are being accepted until May 13th. Send yours today at: http://www.thecampaign.org/cornalert0302.htm Craig Winters Executive Director The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods The Campaign PO Box 55699 Seattle, WA 98155 Tel: 425-771-4049 Fax: 603-825-5841 E-mail: label Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign for the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass legislation that will require the labeling of genetically engineered foods in the United States. " *************************************************************** Monsanto seeks USDA approval for new Bt corn WASHINGTON, March 14 (Reuters) - After four years of field tests of a new, genetically modified Bt corn under government supervision, Monsanto Co asked the U.S. Agriculture Department for permission to move ahead with commercializing the crop, the USDA said on Thursday. In a Federal Register notice, the USDA asked farm groups, plant experts, consumer activists and others to comment on Monsanto's request by May 13. Monsanto's new crop is genetically engineered to resist the destructive larvae of a certain corn rootworm pest. The corn plant is designed to express a naturally occurring pesticide known as Bacillus thuringiensis kumamotoensis, the USDA said. Monsanto asked the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to grant non-regulated status to the new corn plant, saying that its studies and tests showed the crop posed no risk to the environment. Because the corn plant involves a natural pesticide, Monsanto has also filed an application to register the crop with the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates pesticides. Other varieties of Bt corn have been widely used by U.S. farmers in recent years. Last month, a National Academies of Science report urged the USDA to tighten its reviews of potential environmental effects of new biotech crops before approving them for commercial use. The independent science panel said the USDA's environmental assessments were " superficial " and that the department failed to check the impact of new gene-spliced crops after they were put on the market. The USDA reviews about 1,000 applications each year from biotech companies wishing to either test or sell new genetically-engineered plants. 11:40 03-14-02 *************************************************************** GM crops pose risk to organic farms -EU scientists By Robin Pomeroy BRUSSELS, March 15 (Reuters) - Some genetically modified (GM) crops are highly likely to cross-breed with organic or wild plants, posing a risk to farms certified as GM-free, according to a European Union report obtained by Reuters on Friday. The European Environment Agency (EEA), the EU environmental data body, looked at six crop types to see how much cross-pollination occurs with neighbouring crops or wild relatives. The study found that oilseed rape, sugar beet and maize -- three key GM crops -- had a medium or high likelihood of transferring genetic material. Potatoes, wheat and barley were unlikely to cross-breed, it said. " Oilseed rape can be described as a high-risk crop for crop-to-crop gene flow and from crop to wild relatives, " the report said. " At the farm scale low levels of gene flow will occur at long distances and thus complete genetic isolation will be difficult to maintain. " The findings will increase environmentalists' concerns that GM crops could introduce unwanted genetic changes to wild plants and could strengthen the hand of organic farmers who want to ensure GM crops are kept well away from their fields. CONTAMINATION FEAR Earlier this week a British organic farming group said 111 organic farms were at risk of contamination by nearby GM crops despite government-imposed separation distances to keep the GM crops away from other farms. The EEA report said there was, as yet, no sure way of ensuring GM crops could be completely isolated from conventional strains or organic farms. " The use of isolation zones, crop barrier rows and other vegetation barriers between pollen source and recipient crops can reduce pollen dispersal, although changing weather and environmental conditions mean that some long distance pollen dispersal will occur, " the report said. A spokesman for the EU biotech industry association Europabio said organic farmers were being unreasonable to demand absolutely no cross-pollination. " Cross-pollination is normal and natural, it happens, " Europabio's Simon Barber told Reuters. " (The organic lobby) has unilaterally declared 'our standard is zero and if we find anything it causes us harm'. " Organic farmers set thresholds for the presence of small amounts of pesticides from other farms, he said, and should do the same for cross-pollination. The European Union is struggling to create a coherent policy on GM foods, caught between pressures from the biotech and farm lobbies and the U.S. government to allow the new crops and fierce anti-GM lobbying by environmental and consumer groups. The 15-country bloc has had an informal ban on new GM strains since 1998 while it draws up tough new measures on testing crops to ensure their safety, labelling them so consumers can, if they wish, choose GM-free food. Because of the moratorium on new strains, at present only a handful of GM crops may be imported or planted in the EU. 07:32 03-15-02 *************************************************************** [Federal Register: March 14, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 50)] [Notices] [Page 11458-11459] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr14mr02-30] ----- DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service [Docket No. 00-078-1] Monsanto Co.; Availability of Petition and Environmental Assessment for Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically Engineered for Insect Resistance AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. ----- SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a petition from Monsanto Company seeking a determination of nonregulated status for corn designated as Event MON 863, which has been genetically engineered for insect resistance. The petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. In accordance with those regulations, we are soliciting public comments on whether this corn presents a plant pest risk. We are also making available for public comment an environmental assessment for the proposed determination of nonregulated status. DATES: We will consider all comments we receive that are postmarked, delivered, or e-mailed by May 13, 2002. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send four copies of your comments (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 00-078-l, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comments refer to Docket No. 00-078-1. If you use e-mail, address your comment to regulations. Your comment must be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name and address in your message and Docket No. 00-078-1 on the subject line. You may read a copy of the petition for a determination of nonregulated status submitted by Monsanto Company, the environmental assessment, and any comments we receive on this notice of availability in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141, USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure that someone is available to help you, please call (202) 690-2817 before coming. APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Turner, PPQ, APHIS, Suite 5B05, 4700 River Road Unit 147, Riverdale, MD 20737-1236; (301) 734-8365. To obtain a copy of the petition or the environmental assessment, contact Ms. Kay Peterson at (301) 734-4885; e-mail: Kay.Peterson. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 7 CFR part 340, ``Introduction of Organisms and Products Altered or Produced Through Genetic Engineering Which Are PlantPests or Which There Is Reason to Believe Are Plant Pests,'' regulate, among other things, the introduction (importation, interstate movement, or release into the environment) of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests. Such genetically engineered organisms and products are considered ``regulated articles.'' The regulations in Sec. 340.6(a) provide that any person may submit a petition to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) seeking a determination that an article should not be regulated under 7 CFR part 340. Paragraphs (b) and © of Sec. 340.6 describe the form that a petition for a determination of nonregulated status must take and the information that must be included in the petition. On May 17, 2001, APHIS received a petition (APHIS Petition No. 01-137-01p) from Monsanto Company (Monsanto) of St. Louis, MO, requesting a determination of nonregulated status under 7 CFR part 340 for corn (Zea mays L.) designated as Corn Rootworm Protected Corn Event MON 863 (MON 863), which has been genetically engineered for resistance to the larvae of certain corn rootworm (CRW) species. The Monsanto petition states that the subject corn should not be regulated by APHIS because it does not present a plant pest risk. As described in the petition, MON 863 corn has been genetically engineered to express a Cry3Bb1 insecticidal protein derived from the common soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kumamotoensis (Bt kumamotoensis). The petitioner states that the Cry3Bb1 protein is effective in controlling the larvae of CRW pests (Coleoptera, Diabrotica spp.). The subject corn also contains the nptII marker gene derived from the bacterium Escherichia coli. The nptII gene encodes neomycin phosphotransferase type II and is used as a selectable marker in the initial laboratory stages of plant cell selection. Expression of the added genes is controlled in part by gene sequences from the plant pathogens cauliflower mosaic virus and Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Particle gun acceleration technology was used to transfer the added genes into the recipient inbred yellow dent corn line A634. MON 863 corn has been considered a regulated article under the regulations in 7 CFR part 340 because it contains gene sequences from plant pathogens. This corn has been field tested since 1998 in the United States under APHIS notifications. In the process of reviewing the notifications for field trials of the subject corn, APHIS determined that the vectors and other elements were disarmed and that the trials, which were conducted under conditions of reproductive and physical containment or isolation, would not present a risk of plant pest introduction or dissemination. In Sec. 403 of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701-7772), plant pest is defined as any living stage of any of the following that can directly or indirectly injure, cause damage to, or cause disease in any plant or plant product: A protozoan, a nonhuman animal, a parasitic plant, a bacterium, a fungus, a virus or viroid, an infectious agent or other pathogen, or any article similar to or allied with any of the foregoing. APHIS views this definition very broadly. The definition covers direct or indirect injury, disease, or damage not just to agricultural crops, but also to plants in general, for example, native species, as well as to organisms that may be beneficial to plants, for example, honeybees, rhizobia, etc. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for the regulation of pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.). FIFRA requires that all pesticides, including herbicides, be registered prior to distribution or sale, unless exempt by EPA regulation. In cases in which genetically modified plants allow for a new use of a pesticide or involve a different use pattern for the pesticide, EPA must approve the new or different use. Accordingly, Monsanto has filed an application to register the active ingredient B. thuringiensis Cry3Bb protein and the genetic material necessary for its production in corn (66 FR 15435-1536, March 19, 2001). When the use of the pesticide on the genetically modified plant would result in an increase in the residues in a food or feed crop for which the pesticide is currently registered, or in new residues in a crop for which the pesticide is not currently registered, establishment of a new tolerance or a revision of the existing tolerance would be required. Residue tolerances for pesticides are established by EPA under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), as amended (21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces tolerances set by EPA under the FFDCA. EPA has established an exemption from the requirement of a tolerance for residues of the B. thuringiensis Cry3Bb1 protein and the genetic material necessary for its production in or on all raw agricultural commodities (66 FR 24061-24066, May 11, 2001). FDA published a statement of policy on foods derived from new plant varieties in the Federal Register on May 29, 1992 (57 FR 22984-23005). The FDA statement of policy includes a discussion of FDA's authority for ensuring food safety under the FFDCA, and provides guidance to industry on the scientific considerations associated with the development of foods derived from new plant varieties, including those plants developed through the techniques of genetic engineering. The petitioner has completed consultation with FDA on the subject corn. In accordance with the regulations in 7 CFR 340.6(d), we are publishing this notice to inform the public that APHIS will accept written comments regarding the petition for determination of nonregulated status from any interested person for a period of 60 days from the date of this notice. We are also soliciting written comments from interested persons on the environmental assessment (EA) prepared to provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and analysis of any potential environmental impacts and plant pest risk associated with a proposed determination of nonregulated status for MON 863 corn. The EA was prepared in accordance with (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372). The petition and the EA, and any comments received on these documents, are available for public review, and copies of the petition and the EA may be ordered (see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice). After the comment period closes, APHIS will review the data submitted by the petitioner, all written comments received during the comment period, and any other relevant information. After reviewing and evaluating the comments on the petition and the EA and other data and information, APHIS will furnish a response to the petitioner, either approving the petition in whole or in part, or denying the petition. APHIS will then publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing the regulatory status of Monsanto's insect-resistant MON 863 corn and the availability of APHIS' written decision. Authority: 7 U.S.C. 166, 1622n, 7756, and 7761-7772; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of March 2002. W. Ron DeHaven, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. [FR Doc. 02-6135 Filed 3-13-02; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410-34-U <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> * To remove yourself from this mailing list, point your browser to: http://i.mb00.net/remove?TheCampaign:12 * Enter your email address (angelprincessjo) in the field provided and click " Un " . The mailing list ID is " TheCampaign:12 " . OR... * Forward a copy of this message to TheCampaign.12 with the word remove in the subject line. This message was sent to address angelprincessjo X-PMG-Recipient: angelprincessjo <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> <<<>>> pmguid:1m.1w2u.3o4 Organic Farming Quotable Quotes= " A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself " -----*Franklin D. Roosevelt* " Food is power... are you in control of yours? " *John Jeavons*, Ecology Action-- " Health is not a medical issue! " =Theaimcompanies == http://canceranswer.homestead.com/AIM.html Movies - coverage of the 74th Academy Awards® Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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