Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance Newsletter - July 2007
This is the regular newsletter of the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance. The Alliance is a network of organizations and individuals promoting precautionary policies on genetically engineered food and agriculture. We are united in our concern about the impacts of genetically engineered crops and foods on agriculture, the public, and the environment.
NEWS
Genetically Engineered Plum Approved for Market
Effective June 27, 2007, the USDA deregulated a plum variety resistant to plum pox virus (PPV), clearing the way for its commercial production. The GE plum was developed by the USDA’s own Agricultural Research Service, and has been field tested primarily in West Virginia and South Carolina, as well as in part of Europe.
California produces the vast majority of U.S. plums — 86% of the country’s fresh plum market and 99% of the dried plums are produced throughout the Central Valley in nine counties including Tulare, Sutter, Fresno, Kern, and Butte. Almost all plums exported from the U.S. are produced in California and go to markets in Canada, the EU, Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, and China/Hong Kong, several of which would likely reject GE plums.
Genetic contamination by the PPV-resistant plums could lead to several problems. Plums are insect pollinated, so these plums can readily cross-pollinate with wild plums (which are often sold as food) and with organic plums.
The seeds of genetically contaminated plums would contain the GE trait, and the presence of GE seeds combined with the ease of cross-pollination could eventually cause the GE trait to spread rapidly among plum varieties. This could make it difficult or impossible to produce organic plums in areas where the GE plum is grown, and therefore would threaten the organic plum industry. It would also threaten the preservation of certain prized wild plums such as the endangered Laroda plum.
The USDA dismissed or disregarded all of these concerns in its decision to deregulate the GE plum, as well as any potential impact on the insect pollinators themselves.
There is currently virtually no plum pox virus in California or in most of the U.S. Small outbreaks have been discovered in Pennsylvania and New York. It is likely that, in the short term, the GE plum will be marketed in Europe and Canada, where it is a bigger problem, and possibly in the eastern U.S. The absence of PPV in California combined with likely export market rejection makes it unlikely that California growers will adopt the GE plum in the foreseeable future.
Federal Pre-Emption of Genetic Engineering
As we reported in our June newsletter, language that would override all existing and future county and state GE laws had been under consideration for inclusion in the 2007 Farm Bill. This sweeping legislation has been opposed by many farmer and agricultural organizations nationally, as well as many other sectors opposed to such broad federal authority over areas that have traditionally been the purview of local and state government.
At the time of this writing, the Farm Bill was slated for consideration in the House Agriculture Committee the week of July 16th. The version being brought forward to committee does not contain the pre-emption language, indicating a responsiveness to the lobbying pressure opposing it. We will continue to monitor the process, and alert you if the language resurfaces as the complex Farm Bill negotiations continue.
TAKE ACTION
Petition to Ban “Pharma” Food Crops Outdoors
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is circulating a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding federal policy on genetically engineered pharmaceutical and industrial crops. The petition, posted at ProtectOurFood.org, calls on the USDA to (1) prohibit the use of food crops grown outdoors to produce drugs and industrial chemicals, (2) tighten regulations on the use of non-food crops for these purposes, and (3) encourage the development of safer alternatives.
The USDA has released an Environmental Impact Statement on its biotechnology rules including the environmental and health impacts of pharma crops, with new rules to follow. With biotechnology companies pressuring the department to maintain the lax regulatory status quo, UCS will use this petition to convey the view of a broad range of organizations and individuals that public health and food safety can only be assured with a ban on outdoor production in food crops.
We encourage you add your support by signing on at ProtectOurFood.org. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Karen Perry Stillerman.
Research & Reading
“Junk” DNA? – Not so
Scientists have been forced to rethink how the human genome turns a single cell into a complex living being following the most intensive study of our genetic code ever undertaken. The research reveals that genes make up only a tiny fraction of the role played by the 3bn letters that constitute the human genome. Large swaths of the genome, previously dismissed as "junk DNA" because it was thought to serve no practical purpose, have been found to be highly active inside the cells in our bodies.
Other sequences of genetic code are thought to be "on standby", awaiting a time further down the evolutionary path when they will be beneficial to human beings. The results, published in Nature, are the culmination of a $42m, five-year project called ENCODE (ENCyclopaedia Of DNA Elements) involving 80 different scientific teams in 11 countries.
Featured Members
Each month, we profile a few Alliance members to help you get to know each other, understand why diverse organizations support the GE Policy Alliance, and give you a chance to describe your work. Please contact us if you would like to be featured.
Marin Organic
Marin Organic is an association of Marin County organic producers whose livelihood is based on a respect for nature and a sense of place. The organization is dedicated to promoting sustainable agriculture and creating a model program to keep farming in Marin County alive. Marin Organic is an essential link between organic farmers and eaters throughout Marin and has become an integral part of the agricultural and educational landscape in Marin County, and beyond. Marin Organic was instrumental in passing the GMO free initiative in Marin County, and has been an outspoken advocate for independent scientific studies and appropriate governmental oversight of genetically engineered food crops. Marin Organic joined the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance in full support of their work of establishing governmental regulations for GE technology.
Please visit MarinOrganic.org for more information and special events.
Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA)
The Agriculture & Land-Based Training Association (ALBA), supports aspiring entrepreneurs in developing viable small-scale farms, creating economic opportunities while promoting organic farming and healthy local food systems. Our mission is to advance economic viability, social equity and ecological land management among limited-resource and beginning farmers. ALBA provides access to land, water and farm equipment, as well as ongoing education and technical assistance; empowering farm workers and others to realize livelihoods as family farmers.
ALBA joined the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance because productive small farms have always, and will always depend on the sustenance and biodiversity of the land for good agricultural production and fertility. Livable landscapes that support diversified small-scale agriculture and quality of life have always depended on a healthy ecology. Chemical and genetically engineered “food” systems have contributed to the disappearance of thriving rural communities throughout the world, and California is not the exception. Small-scale farmers need the freedom to save seeds and exercise sovereignty over their business and crop choices. ALBA joins the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance to protect organic family farmers who are growing nourishing foods and restoring the land.
More information on ALBA can be found at www.albafarmers.org.
Environmental Defense Center
The Environmental Defense Center protects and enhances the environment of California's south central coast through education, advocacy, and legal action. Since 1977 we have empowered community based organizations to advance environmental protection. Our program areas include protecting coast and ocean resources, open spaces and wildlife, and human and environmental health. We primarily work within Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties.
EDC supports agriculture and open space, and believes that the introduction of GM crops poses a potential threat to human and environmental health, the economic well-being of farmers, and the long term sustainability of the agricultural industry.
We have joined the GE Policy Alliance in order to help monitor the development of this unproven technology while providing a counterweight to those forces that blindly support it. We are proud to be a member of the Alliance and the growing movement supporting environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially equitable farming practices.
Join the Alliance
To become a member of the Genetic Engineering Policy Alliance, simply read and sign our Policy Platform and return it to us by fax or mail.
To receive this newsletter without becoming a member, please contact us and request to be added to our list.
Thanks for your interest and support!
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