Message-ID: <v04003a03b37311237980@[141.244.115.106]> Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 21:45:47 +0200 From: mailto:alternativ@OEHSERV.BOKU.AC.AT Subject: [Draft Sign on letter on butterflies and GMOs] fwd To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
FYI / SPREAD... please, reply ONLY to FoE´s: mailto:<snewport@foe.org> or/and mailto:<mvallianatos@foe.org>
--fwd-- >From: "Biotech Activists" <mailto:biotech_activists@iatp.org>
>Subject: Draft Sign on letter on butterflies and GMOs
>Date: Thu, 27 May 1999 03:25:49 -0500
>
>
================================Date Posted: 05/27/1999 Posted by: mailto:mritchie@iatp.org ================================
Dear Friends:
You may have read about a recent study that showed that genetically engineered corn could be killing monarch butterflies. Laboratory tests conducted by entomologists at Cornell University found that nearly half of monarch caterpillars that ate milkweed leaves dusted with Bt corn pollen died after 4 days compared with no deaths among caterpillars that ate leaves with normal corn pollen or no pollen at all.
The implications of the Cornell study obviously go far beyond monarch butterflies to other butterfly species, including endangered species, and other non pest insects. The study also highlights the unknowns of genetically engineered crops and raises the question of why the government is not conducting similar studies before approving these crops for commercial planting. Corn that has been genetically engineered with the pesticide Bt was first introduced into farmers' fields in 1996 and now accounts for º of the nation's corn crop.
Below is a sign-on letter which we would like to send to key figures in the Administration who play a role in regulating genetically engineered organisms in agriculture.
Please send in your comments to <mailto:snewport@foe.org> or mailto:<mvallianatos@foe.org> by June 3. After incorporating comments, Friends of the Earth will re-circulate the letter for sign-ons and aim to send the letter to the Administration by June 11.
DRAFT FOR COMMENT AND SIGN ON
Re: Biotechnology Killing Monarch Butterflies
Dear ...
In light of the revelation this week that genetically modified crops may be killing monarch butterflies, the undersigned organizations urge you to take several immediate steps to protect the environment.
First, EPA should deny any further approvals and renewals of Bt crops until much more thorough research has been done on the potential ecological impacts of these plants.
Second, the Administration should implement the labeling of all genetically modified foods. This action should be accompanied by a requirement that genetically modified crops be kept separate from conventional crops. In this way, consumers may make an informed choice about the food they eat, and organic and other producers of non-genetically modified produce can continue to export their crops to markets worldwide.
Third, the Administration should not threaten to use trade laws to override the protective health and environment laws of other countries. Using their political and economic voice, European consumers have signaled their refusal to accept the risks associated with genetically modified products. Turning a deaf ear to these concerns, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, nevertheless, continues full speed ahead with its overall goal regarding genetic engineering: to "*seek to ensure that access to new agricultural technologies is not restricted by protectionism and fear." Such an approach could have a boomerang effect if our own health or environmental laws were ever challenged.
Over 45 million acres of US farmland were sown with genetically modified corn, soybeans and cotton in 1998 - up 250% from 1997. Last week's report on Bt corn from scientists at Cornell University raises the pressing questions of why the government didn't require similar studies to be conducted before approving Bt crops. It also raises concerns about the potential health and environmental risks of other genetically engineered organisms that have been rapidly released into the environment without adequate testing, notification or regulation.
The failure of the Administration to ensure more careful control over genetically modified organisms has unleashed an unacceptable experiment on the people and environment of the United States. It is time to look more closely at the inadequate review process of the three federal agencies that regulate genetically modified products - EPA, FDA, and USDA. The implications of the Cornell University study go far beyond monarch butterflies and point to the need for a revamping of our regulatory framework on biotechnology.
The undersigned organizations call for prompt action to remedy this alarming situation.
Sincerely, ...
Mark Ritchie, President Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy 2105 First Ave. South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA 612-870-3400 (phone) 612-870-4846 (fax) mailto:mritchie@iatp.org www.iatp.org
> ... please, reply ONLY to FoE´s:
><mailto:snewport@foe.org> or/and
><mailto:mvallianatos@foe.org>
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