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fw: Pig Vaccine Contaminates U.S. Crops

 

 

 

from:

http://www.mercola.com/2003/jan/8/pig_vaccine.htm

 

Pig Vaccine Contaminates U.S. Crops

 

E-mail to a friend

 

By Suzanne Goldenberg

 

U.S. authorities, shaken by a case in which food crops were contaminated

with an experimental pig vaccine, are preparing to impose stringent

guidelines on a new generation of experimental GM crops.

 

The department of agriculture and the environmental protection agency

are encountering growing disquiet from a coalition of farmers and food

manufacturers about the potential dangers of the next phase of GM

products -- " biopharming, " or the implanting of genes in food crops to

grow drugs and industrial chemicals.

 

The idea of tightening regulations on GM products represents something

of a revolution in thinking in the U.S., where about 70 percent of the

processed food on supermarket shelves contains genetically engineered

ingredients.

 

But concerns have risen after a small biotech firm in Texas was fined $3

million for tainting half a million bushels of soya bean with a trial

vaccine used to prevent stomach upsets in piglets.

 

Under a settlement reached this month, the first of its kind against any

biotech company in the U.S., a firm called Prodigene agreed to pay a

fine of $250,000 and to repay the government for the cost of

incinerating the soya bean that had been contaminated with genetically

altered corn.

 

U.S. authorities said the corn did not reach food crops or animal feed.

But the episode has drawn unwelcome attention to an as yet experimental

area of GM farming.

 

The premise behind biopharming, or " pharming " for short, is that genetic

tinkering can turn an ordinary-looking corn or barley field into a

potential drug factory, producing insulin, chemotherapy drugs, and other

products for much less than it would cost to set up an industrial plant.

 

 

At present, two-dozen trials of the experimental GM drugs are under

wayacross the U.S.

 

The biotech firms argue that the new technique can revolutionize health

care, especially in the developing world where hospitals short on

syringes can dispense edible drugs. But in the wake of the Texas case,

questions are being asked.

 

The latest incident was the worst violation so far of regulations

intended to keep biopharming out of the food supply. It was also seen as

the most serious setback to date to the next generation of GM farming.

 

Until now, genetic engineering has been used mainly to make crops such

as corn and soya bean resistant to insects and disease, and the U.S.

food industry has been solidly on side.

 

The Texas alarm has begun to change that. " The incident overall just

reaffirms our concerns that something could go wrong, " Stephanie Childs

of the Grocery Manufacturers of America, which represents food companies

such as Kellogg and General Mills, told the Los Angeles Times.

 

Analysts in Washington said yesterday that they expected the department

of agriculture to impose more stringent guidelines next year. Published

reports said yesterday that guidelines under consideration by the

authorities include moving experimental farms away from America's grain

belt in the Midwest, or requiring growers to dye the leaves of the

altered crops.

 

The agriculture department's disciplinary measures against the small

Texas firm have crystallized concerns among farmers, environmentalists

and industry about the risks of experimental vaccine crops getting into

the food supply.

 

" The department of agriculture wanted to send a signal that the

companies need to take the obligation to protect the food supply very

seriously, " said Michael odemeyer, the director of Washington's Pew

Initiative on Food and Biotechnology.

 

" The whole issue of growing pharmaceuticals in food crops has certainly

raised concern within the food industry, as well as among

environmentalistsand others, about genes from these crops getting into

the food supply. "

 

The Guardian December 24, 2002

 

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DR. MERCOLA'S COMMENT: E-mail to a friend

 

Here we go again. More evidence on the unreliability of the assurances

we have been given. These GMO foods are contaminating our regular crops

and once this reaches a certain level it will be irreversible.

 

If you haven't read the article I posted last week week on genetically

modified foods, please do as it discusses this topic in far more detail.

 

We still have some time to make some positive dents to stop this

insanity. We have stayed silent, and continue to remain silent, as

industry is irreversibly contaminating the oceans with mercury and

polluting all the fish.

 

Let's remember that it is food that keeps us alive. We can't play with

our fuel source if we ever hope to have healthy future generations. This

is about protecting your grandchildren and generations to come.

 

I am a big believer in technology, but technology may not have a

solution for this one until it is far too late.

 

Related Articles:

 

Genetically Modified Foods, Inc.

 

Manipulating Plants to Make Vaccines

 

Genetically Engineered Food Threatens Indigenous People

 

Why Genetic Engineering Is The Three Mile Island of Biotech

 

 

 

 

 

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§ - PULSE ON WORLD HEALTH CONSPIRACIES! §

 

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Any information here in is for educational purpose only, it may be news

related, purely speculation or someone's opinion. Always consult with a

qualified health practitioner before deciding on any course of treatment,

especially for serious or life-threatening illnesses.

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