GARDEN PLOT: When Nature Is No Longer Natural

What you should know about the genetic engineering of crops

Written by Skip Miller

Monsanto, a one-time chemical company with an atrocious environmental track record, not-so-quietly muscled its way into the command center of the nation’s food supply with a scientific process called genetic modification (GM). The process basically uses an organism’s switchboard for target practice to produce more desirable characteristics.

The first GM vegetable reached market in 1994. It was named the FlavrSavr tomato and engineered not to turn soft as it ripened. It was handiwork of Calgene, which was bought out by Monsanto. Not only the tomato, but products using the tomato, were banned by Europe that felt more research on side effects was needed.

Monsanto, meanwhile, was growing into the largest seed company on the planet. Starting with corn, soy and cotton, it engineered plants that tolerated the company’s own Roundup weed killer. Monsanto calls them Roundup Ready seeds, which allow a farmer to plant them and immediately spray the field with Roundup.

Monsanto secured patents on its modified seeds because it owned the genetic engineering process and that made the result, the seed, its sole domain. It aggressively filed suit against farmers who had GM seeds in their fields, calling that a patent infringement.

Last March the Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), on behalf of 60 farmers, seed companies and organic farming organizations, sued Monsanto. “This case asks whether Monsanto has the right to sue organic farmers for patent infringement if Monsanto’s transgenic seed should land on their property,” explained PUBPAT executive director David Rivicher.

Organic farmers see it as double jeopardy. They do not want GM seeds, which are not recognized as organic. If those seeds drift onto their fields they not only lose the organic distinction, they are open to an expensive lawsuit for patent infringement.

The first of these seeds hit the market in 1997. By the turn of the century GM products were found in as much as 40 percent of the country’s food. More than 90 percent of soy was genetically engineered, as was more than 80 percent of the corn.

Since that beginning a resounding debate and name-calling exercise has taken the place of impartial research and honesty. In one camp are those who believe genetic engineering is little more than an accelerated selective process that has been the basis of agriculture for 10,000 years. It also is the residence of moguls who will do anything for profit. The other camp is heavily populated by people in search of a cause. Their noise too often overpowers the quiet logic of scientific approaches.

The European Union will not allow GMO seeds or products onto the continent. No research supports claims GMOs are completely safe for human consumption, it said. The modified corn, soy, etc., could be delivering an allergen or virus from which humans have no immunity. There is not enough need for genetically engineered food to take this kind of risk, EU officials said in explaining the need for long-term studies.

Because of droughts of biblical proportions, civil wars, tribal uprisings, rampant diseases and overall poverty, GMO is seen as a savior of Africa’s sub-Sahara countries. People such as Microsoft founder Bill Gates say the crisis is not the supply of food, it is local conditions.

The region lacks the roads and railroads to cheaply move food to the people who need it most. That basic problem is exacerbated by corruption and theft. The solution is developing seeds that can tolerate the harsh growing conditions. Seeds that are easy to plant and maintain thus allowing hinterland people to grow their own with little or no outside assistance and dependence.

In 2002 Zambia announced it was banning GM seeds, especially corn. Two years later, in the throes of pandemic starvation, the ban was lifted  with the hope that imported seeds were non-GM. Countries from Argentina to India have since banned all GM seeds or specific crops.

Governments and watchdog groups continue demands for more research and pleas for caution. They claim the need for engineered seeds exists solely in the corporate minds of Monsanto, Dow, Syngenta, Pioneer and other companies.

HOW WE GOT HERE
In 1994 the federal government decided tests done on the FlavrSavr tomato were so overwhelmingly positive no further testing of tomatoes or any other GM plant would needed. Enter Bt corn, a seed that produces its own insect repellant. The repellant is Bacillus thuringiensis—thus the Bt—and it is poisonous to most corn-munching caterpillars. “The EPA considered 20 years of human and animal safety data before registering Bt corn,” according to a University of Minnesota report. “Bt proteins are not toxic to people, domestic animals, fish, or wildlife, and they have no negative impacts on the environment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) exempts Bt proteins from residue analysis because of Bt’s history of safety and because these proteins degrade rapidly.”

A CRISIS OF GREED
In 2008 United Nations General Assembly president Srgjan Kerim blasted the corporate profiteering of the world’s food supply: “The essential purpose of food, which is to nourish people, has been subordinated to the economic aims of a handful of multinational corporations that monopolize all aspects of food production, from seeds to major distribution chains, and they have been the prime beneficiaries of the world crisis. A look at the figures for 2007, when the world food crisis began, shows that corporations such as Monsanto and Cargill, which control the cereals market, saw their profits increase by 45 and 60 percent, respectively.”

MEANWHILE, DOWN ON THE FARM
Agriculture is the No. 1 business in Virginia, accounting for 357,000 jobs and having an annual economic impact of $55 billion. Every job in agriculture and forestry supports 1.5 other jobs. The average Virginia farmer is 58.2 years old—the national average is 57—and the average size farm is 171 acres.  Some 90 percent of Virginia’s farms are owned by families or individuals. The state ranks third nationally in tomato production and sixth nationally in apples, potatoes and grapes. The biggest commercial crop is corn, grown on 340,000 acres and generating more than $152 million annually.

SAY WHEN
The Organic Center (organic-center.org) reached some startling conclusions in its study of the first 13 years of genetically engineered food crops. The overall use of pesticides increased, to 318.4 million pounds. For reasons not yet understood pesticide use rocketed by 20 percent in 2007 and 27 percent in 2008. One theory is heavier use as farmers combat emerging super weeds. Another theory is careless use as the chemicals are slopped onto crops that are immune to the stuff. And a theory to which all agree is overuse of weed killers such as Roundup has resulted in bigger and stronger weeds instead of weed-free crops.

POWERING UP SEED COPS
In 2004 Monsanto employed 75 people and a $10 million budget to investigate and prosecute 500 alleged violations of the company’s seed patents. The usual investigating ploy is to simply show up at a farm, jump the fence for crop samples and then high-tail it back to the lab so the samples can be tested for the presence of Monsanto patented genes. Investigators also have hired airplanes and helicopters for field flyovers, used surveillance, even bought vacant lots to use as surveillance command posts.

WELL, IT IS PURPLE
British scientists used genes from a snapdragon to create purple tomato they said packed enough antioxidants to drive off cancer. The National health Service and Cancer Research UK cried foul researchers pointed out the same amount of antioxidant is found in raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, red cabbage, and red onions.

STOP THAT
When buying Monsanto seeds you have to sign a user-end agreement that the seeds will not be used for research. That means a scientist or farmer could be sued for experimenting with various growing conditions. In its August 2009 edition, Scientific American wrote “food safety and environmental protection depend on making plant products available to regular scientific scrutiny.” The practice should be outlawed because “agricultural revolution is too important to keep behind closed doors,” it concluded.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
In the beginning, in 1968, a 12-member committee studied Monsanto’s PCB problem. Its report concluded the company was facing a global nightmare. It could not deny the PCB environmental impact. The report’s suggested courses of action were ignore the whole thing, sell as much of the stuff as possible before the legal boom was lowered, go out of business, and get into another line of work ASAP. In a confidential “Pollution Abatement Plan” that was written in 1969, Monsanto admitted the scope of the pollution took in the United States, Canada and sections of Europe.

JUST MAKE IT SOUND GOOD
In the beginning natural and organic products were cottage industries, small-scale operations that provided localities with outstanding ice cream, cheese, fruits, berries and crunchy vegetables. The big guys, never shy about wanting to make a profit, bought their way in and the cottage industry all but disappeared. And then the big guys changed the way the game was played. They invented associations, organizations and research councils to give advertised blessing to their products. More recently the truly natural products have fought back with watchdogs such as the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep and Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices.

IT’S ON THE LABEL
European Union law requires all foods and animal feeds be properly labeled for the presence of GM products. GM foods imported from the United States dropped from a $4.2 billion business in 1996 to the present $1.6 billion level. U.S. soybean and soy products exported to Europe fell by 65 percent. Twenty-two agriculture organizations protested to the World Trade Organization. Their complaint? European labeling procedures will become a blueprint for other countries developing biotech regulations.

IT’S JUST SEED MONEY
Did you know the industrial thing to do is to sell the seeds and the chemicals needed to help the seeds grow healthy and strong? Monsanto is the world’s largest seed company and fifth largest agrochemical company.

HOW ROUNDUP WORKS
The main ingredient is glyphosate. It essentially destroys a plant’s root system, preventing it from absorbing nutrients and microoganisms needed to fight off disease. Diseases kill the plant, not the chemical. In a Roundup Ready seed, a genetic switch is flipped, preventing glyphosate from doing its job. So the Roundup Ready plant thrives while the other plants around it are destroyed.

ANOTHER RED SCARE
Once upon a time there was a biotech company named Aresa. It claimed to have genetically modified a plant that when grown near landmines would change from green to red. Even Time Magazine bought in on that one. Four years later, in 2008, Aresa had to admit field tests done in the minefields of Serbia produced plants that preferred to stay green. The company fired its scientific staff and announced it was getting out of the biotech business.

HAVE YOU BEEN TESTED?
Determining the safety of a GM product cannot be achieved by using a one-size-fits-all test, the Society of Toxicology warns. Each product must be tested and, in some cases, an individual product must be tested for each potential health concern. Turn to the peanut for a look at how it works. Overall, the peanut is a safe and nutritious product. For some individuals, however, the peanut is a lethal poison. Allergies are the society’s biggest concerns. If a traditional tomato gives a person a mild case of the itchies, for example, a GM tomato could be life threatening.

HI, TECH
Last November Virginia Tech announced it had joined with Monsanto to form a program to develop a wheat seed that is drought resistant and immune to Fusarium head blight, also known as scab disease. Under the agreement terms, Monsanto will gain access to Tech’s wheat germplasm pool and Tech will learn about Monsanto’s breeding technologies.  Under terms of the agreement both Tech and Monsanto are free to work with anybody they think can help develop the perfect wheat seed.

WHERE DID THAT GO?
Think of it as a shotgun that shoots gene bullets into a plant or animal cell. Now think of it as shooting in the dark. Scientists can hit the cell but have no idea where the gene goes after that, according to a 1997 Washington Times story. Although the shooting will produce the sought-after characteristic, nobody knows what other gene functions are being disrupted. A GM tomato, for example, could stay red and firm for weeks; it also could be void of certain nutrients or even cause allergic reactions.

WEEDS FIGHT BACK
Earth is home to 181 species of so-called “super weeds,” according to the International Survey of Herbicide Resistant Weeds (weedscience.org). Conventional herbicides won’t kill super weeds. Seven species of weed are immune to Roundup treatment, and four of the species grow in the United States. One, Palmer pigweed, is common in Georgia and North Carolina and recently appeared in Virginia fields. The other Roundup tolerant weeds are horseweed, ragweed and rigid ryegrass.

VARIETY? WHAT VARIETY?
Did you know that most grocery store visits involve patronizing just four companies? Kraft owns Nabisco, Post Cereals, Oscar Meyer, Jell-O and Kool-Aid. Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant and Old El Paso belong to General Mills. ConAgra owns Chef Boyardee, Healthy Choice, Peter Pan, Country Price, Libby’s, Hunt’s, Orville Redenbacher and Butter Ball. Coca-Cola and Pepsico sell more than 70 percent of the world’s carbonated beverages.

MAYBE JUST A LITTLE
In 2005 Monsanto was fined $1.5 million for bribing Indonesian officials to not complete an environmental risk assessment of Bt cotton. The fines, levied by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, charged Monsanto with violating the Foreign Corruption Act, paying a $50,000 bribe to repeal the mandatory environmental risk assessment, falsifying books and invoices and “questionable payments” of $700,000 to 140 Indonesian government officials and their families from 1997-2002. Monsanto paid $500,000 for the bribe charges and $1 million to the U.S. Department of Justice. Monsanto called the whole thing “financial irregularities.”

DON’T CALL ME NATURAL
Use of the word “natural” means nothing in the world of food processing. It is an advertising word put into place to help sell, not to describe merits. The Food and Drug Administration repeatedly has refused to provide a definition of “natural” that can be used as an industry standard. That doesn’t seem to matter much—78 percent of American consumers believe the use of the word is under federal regulation.