Farmer Liable For Growing Biotech Crops (3/30/2001) A judge yesterday ordered a Canadian farmer to pay the biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. thousands of dollars because the company's genetically engineered canola plants were found growing on his field, apparently after pollen from modified plants had blown onto his property from nearby farms.
Grace Booth had just finished a chicken enchilada lunch with some co-workers when she began to feel hot and itchy. Her lips began to swell, she developed severe diarrhea and soon she was having trouble breathing. Colleagues called an ambulance.
Booth, 35, was rushed from the California youth center where she works to a nearby hospital, apparently suffering from anaphylactic shock. Doctors quickly injected her with anti-allergy medicine, gave her some Benadryl to swallow and put her on an IV. The treatment worked, and after five hours Booth walked out of the hospital.
Several days later, Booth learned that taco shells and other corn products had been recalled nationwide because they were found to contain a genetically modified type of corn called StarLink. The corn had been approved only for animal consumption because of concerns that it might trigger dangerous allergic reactions in people.
Greenpeace finds transgenic corn and soy in Kellogg's Morningstar brand (3/8/2001) Laboratory testing has revealed
that a Kellogg’s product is made
with StarLink corn, a genetically
altered variety that is not
approved for human consumption.
In laboratory analyses, Kellogg’s
Morningstar Farms brand
meat-free Corn Dog tested
positive for StarLink (45KB pdf
file) , and the corn dog and two
other products tested positive for genetically altered soy (38 KB pdf
file). Greenpeace today filed notice with the Food and Drug
Administration calling on the agency to order an immediate recall and
health investigation of the Morningstar product.
USDA to buy back contaminated corn seed (3/8/2001) Using up to $20 million in
funds normally lent to farmers facing natural disasters, the U.S. Agriculture Department announced yesterday that it will buy
as many as 400,000 bags of corn seed that contain the genetically
modified (GM) corn variety StarLink.
Opposing Genetic Engineering in New Zealand (3/7/2001) n February 2001, Bill Christison travelled from the
U.S. to New Zealand to present testimony to, and
answer questions of, New Zealand's Royal
Commission on Genetic Modification. Before and
after the hearing, he travelled around New Zealand
visiting farmers and community leaders listening to
their views, recounting his negative experience
with genetically modified crops in the U.S., and
discussing alternatives. The following are excerpts
from his official testimony submitted in advance.
Bill Christison is president of the U.S. National
Family Farm Coalition as well as president of the
Missouri Rural Crisis Center.
Legislative Actions Target Agriculture (3/6/2001) Political activism is alive and well in statehouses around the country.
What follows is a quick rundown of some pending actions that may affect
your operation. This list was prepared by the MidAmerica Crop Protection
Association.