April 26, 2012 –

154 Farm, Fisheries, Public Health, Consumer, and Environmental Groups Send Secretary Vilsack Joint-Letter on Potential Threats to Human Health, American Farms
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Public Comment Period Ends Friday, April 27

SUMMARY: "Although Bt maize is widely cultivated, few studies have examined the interaction of different lines of Bt maize with symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the soil. The authors examined differential levels of AMF colonization in multiple lines of Bt and non-Bt maize grown under the same experimental conditions. Transgenic Bt maize plants had lower levels of AMF colonization in their roots than did the non-Bt parental base-hybrids. This work contributes to the growing body of knowledge on the unanticipated effects of Bt crop cultivation on non-target soil organisms."

SUMMARY: "Bioengineering agricultural giant Monsanto has touted the safety of genetically modified crops, but a new study has found that insecticide-containing corn can be harmful to the overall health of soil ecosystems. Genetically modified corn has been linked to a decrease in a subterranean fungus that forms a symbiotic bond with plant roots, allowing them to draw in more nutrients and water from the surrounding soil in exchange for carbon.

SUMMARY: "Genetically-modified lamb with a ‘healthy’ type of fat naturally found in fish and nuts have been cloned for the first time, by Chinese scientists. ‘Peng Peng’ was born a month ago at a laboratory in Xinjiang, western China. He has a gene from a roundworm which makes him produce fat containing high levels of omega-3 fatty acids, as is found in oily fish like salmon. [...] Dr Yutao Du, of the Beijing Genomics Institute in Shenzhen, southern China, said [...] that BGI was now “ready for the industrial-scale development” of GM sheep.

SUMMARY: "The world’s most popular weed killer, Roundup®, can cause amphibians to change shape, according to research published today in Ecological Applications. Rick Relyea, University of Pittsburgh professor of biological sciences in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and director of Pitt’s Pymatuning Laboratory of Ecology, demonstrated that sublethal and environmentally relevant concentrations of Roundup® caused two species of amphibians to alter their morphology.

SUMMARY: "A coalition of more than 2,000 U.S. farmers and food companies said Wednesday it is taking legal action to force government regulators to analyze potential problems with proposed biotech crops and the weed-killing chemicals to be sprayed over them.

SUMMARY: "In a paper published recently in BioScience, David Mortensen, professor of weed ecology at Penn State, and fellow researchers criticized this “single tactic” approach of herbicide-tolerant GM crops to control weeds. The paper says the approach will dramatically increase herbicide use and threaten environmental quality, create even more herbicide resistant “superweeds,” and encourage continued neglect of public research and extension investment in integrated weed management approaches in favor of chemical company profit-driven GMO approaches.

SUMMARY: "Good biofuel crops can make great invasive species. That’s one of the findings of a new report released today by the National Wildlife Federation. Growing Risk: Addressing the Invasive Potential of Bioenergy Feedstocks explores the challenges and policy solutions surrounding the use of non-native and potentially invasive bioenergy crops. Numerous non-native and genetically modified species are already being considered for use as biomass feedstocks.

SUMMARY: "Scientists have slammed the “senseless” destruction of hundreds of genetically-engineered pine trees during a break-in at a Rotorua plantation. Scion planted 375 radiata pines last year to test herbicide resistance and study reproductive development. The company said damage to the trees, which occurred over the Easter Weekend, will cost around $400,000. Scion Chief Executive Dr Warren Parker describes this as a blatant act of vandalism designed to end Scion’s genetic modification research programme."

GE TREE ATTACK: COMPANY VOWS TO REPLANT

SUMMARY: "More than 1 million Americans are calling on the Food and Drug Administration to label genetically engineered foods, the largest number of people to weigh in on a food petition in the history of the federal agency, according to the initiative’s advocates. Just Label It, which was organized in New Hampshire last fall, said the group has been gathering support with the help of more than 500 partner organizations across the country.