USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has given preliminary approval to the first of a new generation of pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered crops designed to survive spraying with multiple herbicides.  This GE corn variety was developed by DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International to tolerate applications of  glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) and acetolactate synthase-inhibiting herbicides (ALS inhibitors).  This latest petition to deregulate a new, untested, and complex GE crop poses food safety, environmental, and agronomic concerns that were not adequately evaluated by the Bush Administration’s USDA. 

In a move that is characteristic of the Bush era, APHIS has failed to adequately address a range of health and environmental risks in its draft environmental assessment (EA), including novel food safety concerns, increased pesticide use and increased prevalence of weeds resistant to glyphosate, ALS inhibitors and to both herbicides. The draft EA also gets basic facts wrong, and does not provide a meaningful analysis of the cumulative impacts from introduction of Event 98140 in association with the current widespread use of other glyphosate-tolerant corn and other glyphosate-tolerant crops.

Tell USDA to stop this approval and prepare and publish a through Environmental Impact Statement before making a decision.  DuPont-Pioneer’s dual herbicide-tolerant corn represents the first of a new generation of multiple herbicide-tolerant crops that require extremely careful consideration.  USDA should also extend the public comment period so that all interested parties can thoroughly examine the materials and comment appropriately.

USDA is only accepting comments until February 6th – please send your comment today!

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Docket No. APHIS-2008-0094 Regulatory Analysis and Development PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8 4700 River Road, Unit 118 Riverdale, MD 20737-1238

To whom it may concern,

I am writing in regard to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0094, Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc.; Availability of Petition and Environmental Assessment for Determination of Nonregulated Status for Corn Genetically Engineered for Tolerance to Glyphosate and Acetolactate Synthase-Inhibiting Herbicides. I oppose the deregulation of Event 98140 corn due to the risks this crop poses to human and animal health, the environment, and farmers.

Pioneer's Event 98140 is designed to deal with the problems of weed resistance in the first generation of GE herbicide-tolerant crops, but may very well make matters worse. Relying almost solely on glyphosate has fostered an epidemic of glyphosate-resistant weeds that is considered a major threat to American agriculture by leading agronomists. Past use of ALS inhibitors has generated massive weed resistance to this class of herbicides as well. In fact, an estimated 14 million acres of prime U.S. farmland are infested with one or more of 40 different species of weeds resistant to one or both of these herbicides. Introduction of Pioneer's dual-HT corn will increase use of both glyphosate and ALS inhibitors, and likely exacerbate weed resistance to both. Increased weed resistance will in turn lead to greater use of still other toxic chemical weedkillers.

DuPont-Pioneer's GE corn also raises several food safety concerns. The "glyphosate acetyltransferase" (GAT) enzyme that makes Pioneer's corn tolerant to glyphosate also generates substantial levels of a number of poorly characterized compounds that are absent or found only at extremely low levels in most foods. These acetylated amino acids have not been adequately assessed for potential adverse health impacts on humans or animals. As part of its environmental analysis APHIS must consider "the degree to which the proposed action affects public health or safety." APHIS has ignored this obligation. DuPont-Pioneer has also failed to conduct long-term animal feed studies with this corn. A recent Austrian government study found reduced fertility in mice fed a different variety of GE corn, reinforcing the need to conduct feeding studies for all GE crops for reproductive and other harmful effects.

Given the environmental and potential human health hazards posed by this new GE corn, I oppose its deregulation unless, and until, APHIS prepares and publishes a thorough Environmental Impact Statement that adequately addresses these concerns. Additionally, APHIS should extend this public comment period so that all interested parties can thoroughly review the materials and offer informed comment.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
February 02, 2009