Fw: USDA accused of selling suspect biotech corn

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" News Update from The Campaign " <newsupdate

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

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Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

Last Thursday, the Iowa Farmers Union and Friends of the Earth charged

that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has allowed the sale of

genetically engineered corn suspect of causing infertility in pigs.

 

The USDA apparently allowed the sale of this biotech corn before a

scientific investigation to learn if it is harmful to pigs or other farm

animals had been completed. It is disturbing to think that the USDA

would put profit before safety. Unfortunately that seems to be the

pattern for all the regulatory agencies overseeing genetically

engineered foods in the United States.

 

The USDA is also well aware that pollen from genetically engineered corn

is contaminating organic corn. But the USDA is ignoring the concerns of

organic corn farmers to the benefit of the biotech industry. Perhaps the

pattern of favoritism has something to do with the fact that the

Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, use to work in the biotech

industry.

 

Posted below are four items. The first is an Associated Press article

titled " USDA Accused of Selling Suspicious Corn. " The second is an

article from Reuters titled " Farm group says USDA put bad corn into feed

chain. " The third item is a press release from Friends of the Earth and

the fourth is the text of a letter the Iowa Farmers Union and Friends of

the Earth sent to Secretary of Agriculture, Ann Veneman, expressing

concern about the sale of the suspect corn.

 

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. "

 

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USDA Accused of Selling Suspicious Corn

 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Environmentalists and an Iowa farm group accused the

government Thursday of selling Iowa corn suspected of containing a toxic

mold that made pigs infertile.

 

Friends of the Earth and the Iowa Farmers Union said they sent a letter

to Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, asking her to block 950 bushels

from being used as livestock feed until the corn has been proven safe.

 

``When the USDA's own researchers are looking for a novel toxin in this

corn, why on earth would they sell it into feed channels and put

unsuspecting farmers at risk?'' asked Larry Bohlen, spokesman for

Friends of the Earth.

 

Bohlen provided a copy of a receipt that said the corn was sold Jan. 9

to G & R Elevator in Portsmouth, Iowa.

 

Kevin Herglotz, a USDA spokesman, said he couldn't comment on the sale

but said Friends of the Earth is ``trying to distort the facts to

promote some sort of agenda out there.''

 

A letter sent to Friends of the Earth by USDA officials in October said

the department was going to investigate the corn further.

 

The corn is a type of biotech grain, known as Bt corn, that is

genetically designed to resist pests. It was produced by Garst Seed in

Slater, Iowa. The company has said it conducted its own investigation

but found nothing amiss.

 

Twenty farmers, most of them in Iowa, have complained that the biotech

corn may have made their livestock infertile, the Iowa Farmers Union

said in a statement.

 

But Herglotz said tests by department researchers and scientists at Iowa

State University did not detect any toxic molds that could have made the

farm animals unable to reproduce or caused ``pseudo-pregnancies,'' which

make animals appear large and pregnant.

 

Researchers said the pseudo-pregnancies likely were caused by ``farm

management practices,'' which include how the animals were treated and

where the feed was stored.

 

Jerry Rosman, a Harlan, Iowa farmer who pointed out the problem to USDA

and Iowa State University, said he carefully examined and changed his

practices, but concluded it was the grain that was hurting his hogs and

cattle.

 

01/24/03 00:25 EST

 

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Farm group says USDA put bad corn into feed chain

 

 

DES MOINES, Iowa, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Iowa farmers and an environmental

group on Thursday charged the U.S. government with selling a problem

supply of genetically engineered corn to a feed company despite

complaints that the corn had caused hormonal problems in pigs.

 

The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) and Friends of the Earth sent a letter on

Thursday to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, asking

the USDA to bar use of the corn in human or animal food " as long as the

cause of reproductive failure in swine is unresolved. "

 

But a USDA spokesman told Reuters the corn had been tested and found to

be safe.

 

More than 20 farmers have complained over the last two years about sows

that ate the corn developing pseudopregnancy, exhibiting signs of

pregnancy for a full term without carrying a fetus. The corn is being

tested to see if it caused or contributed to the problems, the groups

said.

 

They complained on Thursday that despite the potential problems, the

U.S. Commodity Credit Corporation sold 950 bushels of the suspect corn

on Jan. 9 to the G & R Grain and Feed Company in Portsmouth, Iowa.

 

" They thought they could sell a minute amount and blend it in with other

corn and the farmers would accept it, " said Iowa Farmers Union

representative Lori Sokolowski.

 

" We felt that further scientific testing needed to be done for USDA to

determine if this ... is a risk. But they aren't waiting for the testing

to be done. "

 

USDA spokesman Wayne Baggett said USDA's Farm Service Agency " had

samples drawn and submitted for grading. The grading showed it (the

corn) was saleable. "

 

Baggett said USDA then had the tests reviewed by Iowa State University

veterinary and grain quality experts. " They reviewed the test results

and determined that the corn would not be expected to affect swine. "

 

In August, a USDA researcher wrote " one possible cause " of problems with

sows " may be the presence of an unanticipated, biologically active,

chemical compound within the corn. "

 

" Why would USDA Secretary Veneman allow her Department to sell this corn

to a feed company before finishing a scientific investigation to learn

if it is harmful to pigs or other farm animals? " said IFU's Chris

Peterson in a statement issued Thursday. " We want sound science to avoid

reproductive problems in Iowa's swine herds. Independent hog farmers

have told us that this problem could be the final blow to their farms. "

 

The sows in question had all eaten a genetically modified corn, some of

which was also found contaminated with a type of mold. Researchers have

not yet determined what about the corn could cause the hormonal changes,

but have not been able to rule out the corn as the cause, the farmers

union said.

 

" Their hormones are all messed up. The veterinarians couldn't figure out

what was wrong with the sows, " said Sokolowski

 

Friends of the Earth, an activist group generally opposed to biotech

crops, said it had been corresponding for months with the USDA on this

matter. A letter from the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards

Administration dated Oct. 29 said " scientists are testing the corn to

determine if it contains a novel toxin that might impact swine

production, " but no final determination had ever been communicated.

 

The farmers union and Friends of the Earth acknowledged that researchers

at Iowa State University have said that genetically engineered Bt corn

is not the cause of swine reproductive failures experienced by numerous

local farmers.

 

But they said, research has not not concluded whether some other aspect

of the corn was causing the problems.

 

The USDA has about 22,000 bushels of the suspect corn, having obtained

it as collateral on a loan to the operators of a Harlan, Iowa, farm.

 

The groups said the FSA attempted in late 2002 to sell the corn for

ethanol production but it was rejected by a local processor.

 

" When there is a mysterious problem that could affect the fate of

farmers, our health and the environment, we need answers - not attempts

to sweep it under the rug like the USDA has done, " said Friends of the

Earth spokesman Larry Bohlen.

 

01/23/03 17:54 ET

 

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For Immediate Release

January 23, 2003

 

Contact:

Larry Bohlen, FoE, 202-270-1547

Chris Petersen, IFU, 641-357-4090

Lori Sokoloski, IFU, 712-368-2464

 

Groups Reveal That USDA Sold Suspect Corn,

Express Alarm About Where It May End Up

 

DES MOINES, IOWA - A farm advocacy organization and an environmental

group today jointly released evidence that the United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA) sold corn that one of its own researchers said

might be harmful to sows. The groups raised concern that the suspect

corn may end up being used as animal feed or even in grocery products.

 

The Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) and Friends of the Earth (FoE) obtained a

copy of a receipt for sale of 950 bushels of corn marketed by the

Commodities Credit Corporation on behalf of the USDA's Farm Services

Agency (FSA) and sold on Jan. 9 to G & R Grain and Feed Company of

Portsmouth, Iowa. The corn is suspected by the USDA's own researchers to

have caused severe reproductive problems in sows in Iowa.

 

" Why would USDA Secretary Veneman allow her Department to sell this corn

to a feed company before finishing a scientific investigation to learn

if it is harmful to pigs or other farm animals? " said IFU's Chris

Peterson. " We want sound science to avoid reproductive problems in

Iowa's swine herds. Independent hog farmers have told us that this

problem could be the final blow to their farms, forcing them out of

business. "

 

The IFU and FoE also delivered letters today to USDA Secretary Ann

Veneman and the Des Moines office of the FSA asking that the 950 bushels

already sold not be allowed to be used for food or feed, and requesting

that no more of the corn in the USDA's possession be sold while there

are unanswered questions about its safety. The groups also requested a

meeting with the FSA.

 

In a letter to the USDA last fall, FoE urgently appealed to Secretary

Veneman to obtain all of the corn to save it for science and to keep it

off the market as long as the source of the reproductive problems

remained unknown. The USDA wrote a response, dated Oct. 29, saying that

USDA " scientists are testing the corn to determine if it contains a

novel toxin that might impact swine production. " The department has yet

to complete an investigation.

 

A lead researcher in the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Ames,

Iowa, wrote in August that, " one possible cause of this problem may be

the presence of an unanticipated, biologically active, chemical compound

within the corn " and that " animal reproduction studies, especially with

swine, will require considerable quantities of the suspect corn. "

Researchers at Iowa State later released a statement saying that

genetically engineered Bt corn was not the cause of swine reproductive

failures experienced by numerous local farmers, but did not conclude

whether some other aspect of the corn was causing the problems.

 

By a twist of legal fate, the USDA has control of approximately 22,000

bushels of the corn through the FSA. The corn is part of the 2001

harvest from the Rolling R Farm in Harlan, Iowa. It was used as

collateral on a loan to the operation once managed by farmer Jerry

Rosman. USDA officials in Washington, D.C., had directed that the corn

not be sold as food or feed. The FSA attempted in late 2002 to sell the

corn for ethanol production but it was rejected by Tall Corn Ethanol, a

local processor. A byproduct of ethanol is gluten, used in animal feed

and human food, raising concern that any problem with the corn might

enter the food chain. Now the FSA has sold part of the corn directly to

a company that handles animal feed and loads trains destined for export

markets.

 

" When there is a mysterious problem that could affect the fate of

farmers, our health and the environment, we need answers - not attempts

to sweep it under the rug like the USDA has done, " said FoE's Larry

Bohlen.

 

The reproductive problem experienced by sows is called pseudopregnancy

and is characterized by false pregnancy, in which the animal exhibits

the signs of pregnancy for a full term but carries no fetus. The Rolling

R Farm is not the only operation to suffer the problem. According to

IFU, which has been running radio announcements and print ads with The

Humane Society of the United States in Farm News and Iowa Farmer Today

(NE & NW editions) to assess the extent of the problem, more than 20

farmers have been impacted. The organizations continue to take calls

from concerned farmers, and they plan to put these farmers in touch with

researchers interested in solving the pregnancy problems.

 

###

 

More information on the swine pseudopregnancy problem, including an

exchange of letters with the USDA, may be found at

www.foe.org/suspectcorn.

 

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January 23, 2003

 

Ann M. Veneman

Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Avenue SW

Washington DC 20250

 

Re: USDA Sale to Iowa Feed Mill of Corn Suspected of Causing

Reproductive Problems in Sows

 

Dear Secretary Veneman:

 

The enclosed receipt shows that the USDA sold 950 bushels of corn

suspected of causing severe reproductive failure in sows to a feed mill

in Iowa. The sale was made by the Commodities Credit Corporation on

behalf of USDA's Farm Services Agency to the G & R Grain and Feed Company

in Portsmouth, Iowa on January 9, 2003.

 

We are writing to ask why the USDA sold the corn, and to request that

the USDA prevent the corn it sold from being exported as food or used as

animal feed as long as the cause of reproductive failure in swine is

unresolved.

 

According to the USDA's Agricultural Research Service in a letter dated

August 5th, 2002, " One possible cause of this problem may be the

presence of an unanticipated, biologically active, chemical compound

within the corn. " In a USDA letter addressed to Friends of the Earth by

the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration on October

29, Administrator Donna Reifscheider, says USDA " scientists are testing

the corn to determine if it contains a novel toxin that might impact

swine production. " The Department has yet to complete its investigation,

therefore it is irresponsible for the USDA to deliver any portion of the

remaining corn into food or feed channels. The corn could cause sow

reproductive problems for an unsuspecting farmer, or worse, be used for

human consumption.

 

The corn in question should be treated as potentially harmful, as long

as the potential presence of an unanticipated chemical compound remains.

We call on the USDA to refrain from selling any more of the suspect corn

until further research determines if the corn is harmful to animals or

humans.

 

In September 2002, the USDA was contacted by Friends of the Earth in a

letter requesting that the Department purchase all the corn suspected of

causing reproductive problems in sows to save it for science and to keep

it from causing the same problems for other farmers. We have learned

that the USDA actually owns a substantial portion of the suspect corn on

the order of 22,000 bushels through the Farm Services Agency (FSA). We

understand that the FSA attempted in late 2002 to sell the corn for

ethanol production but it was rejected by Tall Corn Ethanol, an Iowa

processor. A byproduct of ethanol is gluten, used in animal feed and

human food, raising concern that any problem with the corn might enter

the food chain.

 

The USDA is in a position to keep the corn under its control out of food

and feed channels, yet appears to be actively trying to get rid of it.

The USDA should acquire all of the suspect corn to either keep it off

the market permanently if it is determined to be harmful, or to keep it

off the market until such time as additional testing determines that it

is not harmful.

 

We appreciate that you " intend to include the corn in question " in

pending research as noted in a USDA letter from October 1. In the same

August 5th, 2002 letter referenced above, the USDA's Agricultural

Research Service wrote that " animal reproduction studies, especially

with swine, will require considerable quantities of the suspect corn, "

yet only a small amount on the order of 50 bushels has been acquired

according to farmer Jerry Rosman who formerly managed the Rolling R Farm

where the sow reproductive problems occurred. Please inform us if the

USDA plans to employ swine feeding studies using the suspect corn from

the Rolling R Farm. If the Department does not intend to do so, please

explain why.

 

Given the special mandate assigned the United States Department of

Agriculture to ensure the well-being of American agriculture and given

the unidentified threat that corn labeled " suspect " by your own research

service poses, it is appropriate for the Department to act immediately.

Solving this problem is of interest to everyone - farmers,

environmentalists, and people who care about animal welfare.

 

Additionally, pseudopregnancy is not an isolated problem. Our

organizations have been contacted by 20 farmers who have experienced

similar problems as those experienced on the Rolling R Farm, so a

determination of the cause of the problems is needed more than ever.

 

We ask that you respond promptly in writing to the inquiries we have

made above.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chris Petersen

Iowa Farmers Union

 

Larry Bohlen, Health and Environment Programs

Friends of the Earth

 

cc:

Senator Cochran, Chairman Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry

Committee

Senator Harkin, Ranking Member, Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, &

Forestry Committee

Senator Grassley

Representative Combest, Chairman, House Agriculture Committee

Representative Stenholm, Ranking Member, House Agriculture Committee

Members of the Iowa House Delegation: Leach, Nussle, Boswell, Latham and

King

Governor Whitman, Administrator of EPA

Dr. Lester M. Crawford, Jr., Deputy Commissioner, Food & Drug

Administration

Patty Judge, Secretary, Iowa Department of Agriculture

Tom Miller, Iowa Attorney General

 

 

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