| June 4, 2009 |  |
Agriculture Department Reopens Comment Period for First Genetically Engineered Ethanol Corn
New Biofuel Product Likely Would Contaminate Food Supply, UCS Says
WASHINGTON (June 4, 2009) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today reopened the public comment period for its proposal to permit, for the first time, widespread cultivation of a food crop engineered for biofuel production. In the first round, USDA received more than 13,000 comments, the vast majority of which opposed the crop's commercialization. The opposition included major trade groups and food companies that fear the enzyme could end up in breakfast cereals and snack foods and hamper their ability to export them. In response, USDA revised its risk assessment for the corn and is now seeking additional public input between today and July 6.
"If the USDA authorizes this new ethanol corn, it would be the first genetically engineered industrial crop destined to be planted on millions of acres every year," said Jane Rissler, senior scientist and deputy director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). "When grown on such a massive scale, this ethanol corn would inevitably contaminate corn intended for the food and feed supply, exposing consumers to a new, potentially allergy-producing engineered protein that to date only a relatively small number of scientists have ever encountered."
Syngenta, a Switzerland-based pesticide manufacturer, developed the corn by patching together an engineered protein from ones it obtained from three unusual and relatively unknown organisms that live near extremely hot deep sea vents. Scientists have found them to be so extraordinary that they cannot be classified with such well-known organisms as yeast, bacteria, plants or animals, and have to be assigned to an entirely new category.
To protect the food supply, UCS is calling on the USDA to ban the outdoor production of Syngenta's ethanol corn and all other food crops engineered for industrial or drug purposes. In any case, UCS does not favor relying on conventional or engineered corn as a biofuel source because it likely would contribute to, rather than reduce, global warming pollution. The organization maintains that other sources, such as straw and switchgrass, are more promising for biofuel.
Read UCS's updated comments on Syngenta's genetically engineered ethanol corn.
Read UCS's original comments on Syngenta's genetically engineered ethanol corn.
Read additional background information on genetically engineered corn.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
