Denver Post, CO
08-21-06
Biopharming gone awry
It's not exactly the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, but the genetically engineered
grass that recently escaped from an Oregon test plot has the potential to wreak
serious environmental havoc.
The creeping bentgrass, genetically modified to be resistant to common
herbicides such as Roundup, was found to have crossed with wild grasses, the
first known transgenic crop escape in the U.S.
Yikes!
Grass farmers and environmentalists fear the creation of a superweed that would
contaminate grass seed production, a $373.5 million industry in Oregon.
The revelation underscores the caution that is necessary - and apparently wasn't
exercised - in handling genetically engineered crops.
A federal judge recently came to a similar conclusion in a case out of Hawaii. The
judge ruled that U.S. Department of Agriculture officials displayed "utter
disregard" for Hawaii's many endangered plant species by not investigating
potential impacts on them before issuing permits for cultivation of genetically
modified crops.
In a scathing 52-page order, U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright took the
agency to task, saying the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service violated
the law by granting permits for modified corn and sugar cane plants. Companies
modified their genetic structure so that when harvested, the plants would contain
hormones or proteins that could be used to treat human illnesses.
Seabright this week will be considering remedies, and the plaintiffs are asking the
judge to prohibit the issuance of biopharming permits for open air crops
anywhere in the country until agency reviews its permitting process.
It is a prudent course of action. While Oregon and Hawaii are far from Colorado,
biopharming interests have eyed our state before. Two years ago, we urged
extreme caution as the federal government planned to move ahead with permits
allowing "pharmaceutical" corn to be cultivated in Colorado.
Luckily, it would seem, no commercial biopharm crops were actually planted
here. An Iowa State University researcher sowed a tiny plot of seed corn, but
that was a far cry from original plans.
Given the recent revelations of blunders, we think federal regulators ought to reevaluate the regulatory process and monitoring safeguards. While tomatoes run
amok might be the stuff of Hollywood, the risks from sloppy handling of genealtered crops is all too real.