AP News - Seeds Contain Biotech Contamination.
April 23, 2001
Seeds Contain Biotech Contamination
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 5:57 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Dozens of small seed companies have found corn seed
contaminated with traces of a biotech variety that was not approved for human
consumption, the government says.
The Department of Agriculture agreed to buy the contaminated corn to ensure that it
doesn't get planted. So far, 77 of the 281 small companies eligible for the program have
asked for the purchase contracts, USDA spokesman Kevin Herglotz said Monday.
``The important thing was to get (the buyback program) up and running, to make sure
we could prevent any potentially contaminated seed from being planted,'' Herglotz said.
Large seed companies and firms that were licensed to sell the biotech corn were not
eligible for the program. The department doesn't know yet how much seed handled by
the 77 companies was contaminated, Herglotz said.
The biotech seed, named StarLink, was approved only for animal consumption because
of unanswered questions about whether a special protein, called Cry9C, in the corn can
cause allergic reactions in people.
Discovery of the corn in the food supply last fall forced nationwide recalls of taco shells
and other products and grain shipping was disrupted as processors and handlers started
testing for the grain.
Some 68 companies are still testing their seed, but most of the contamination would have
been found by now, said Angela Dansby, a spokeswoman for the American Seed Trade
Association. She said there have been no shortages of seed for farmers this spring.
The testing is likely to continue for several years. ``The seed industry and USDA will
continue to birddog this issue or situation until there is evidence that Cry9C is no longer
in corn seed,'' she said.
The department has estimated, based on information supplied by the companies, that less
than 1 percent of the 40 million bags of corn seed produced for planting this year
contains some trace of StarLink.
USDA has estimated the buyback program will cost taxpayers about $20 million. The
department is expected to pay about $35 to $50 per bag for the contaminated seed. Corn
seed retails for about $75 a bag.
The National Corn Growers Association warned farmers against buying seed not
certified as StarLink-free. Farmers also have been advised to avoid contaminating their
corn crops with stray StarLink plants that will sprout this spring from grain left in fields
from last fall's harvest.
The company that developed StarLink, Aventis CropScience, has asked the
Environmental Protection Agency to grant temporary food-use approval for the corn.
EPA is awaiting results of an investigation into reports of possible allergic reactions to
corn products.
Copyright 2001 The Associated Press |
