Pharming Again on the Rise

[Guest guest]

Pharming Again on the Rise

 

The practice of splicing human genes into common crops to produce

proteins for use in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals -- known as

biopharming, or pharming -- is again on the rise among biotech

companies, says a new report, under the cover of an approval process

that is shrouded in secrecy. Pharming was dealt a serious blow in

2002 when biotech company ProdiGene accidentally mixed its phunky

crops with conventionally grown plants in Nebraska, causing public

outcry and calls for tighter regulation; the company was fined

$500,000 by the USDA. However, says the Center for Science in the

Public Interest, the USDA has denied only two pharming applications

since 2000 -- and there were 16 in the last year alone. (In fact,

ProdiGene is back pharming in Nebraska.) The center's report calls

for a more transparent application and approval process, and the USDA

has promised to unveil just that in the next three weeks, saying

environmental assessments would be required -- and published on the

USDA website -- and there would be a 30-day comment period on

applications for larger projects.

 

straight to the source: MSNBC.com, 02 Jun 2004

<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=2545>

 

straight to the source: The New York Times, Andrew Pollack, 02 Jun 2004

<http://www.gristmagazine.com/cgi-bin/forward.pl?forward_id=2548>