Fwd: Jan 98 issue of Alive

sal (sals@rain.org)
Sun, 25 Jan 1998 17:08:03 -0800

>X-Sender: rwolfson@pop3.concentric.net
>Date: Sun, 25 Jan 1998 23:55:15 -0500
>To: info@natural-law.ca
>From: Richard Wolfson <rwolfson@concentric.net>
>Subject: Jan 98 issue of Alive
>
>Biotech News, by Richard Wolfson, PhD
>
>(Reprinted with permission for the January 1998 issue of Alive: Canadian
>Journal of Health and Nutrition, 7436 Fraser Park Drive, Burnaby BC Canada
>V5J 5B9)
>
>* Europe Approves but Resists
>In response to pressure from the US government and multinationals, the
>European Commission has approved genetically engineered crops such as
>transgenic corn and soy from the United States for import into Europe.
>However, biotech imports to Europe have been effectively on hold because
>several individual countries, including Luxembourg and Austria, have banned
>these products.
>Since Canada has not segregated its genetically modified canola from
>unmodified versions, Canadian canola has not been allowed into Europe
>either. Canadians exports of canola to Europe, which were $180 million in
>1996, are nothing for this year.
>
>* Bt Toxin Kills Beneficial Insects
>Researchers at the Swiss federal research station Zuerich-Reckenholz were
>alarmed to find that Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin from transgenic
>plants "jumped over" a food chain to kill useful insects. Transgenic corn
>containing the Bt toxin gene not only killed European cornborers (insect
>pests), but also killed the larvae of green lacewings, beneficial insects
>that feed on the cornborers.
>Another insect pest, the African cottonworm, survived after being fed the
>Bt corn. However, beneficial green lacewings that fed on the cottonworms
>died. Bt corn and potatoes, which are already on the market in Canada, are
>genetically engineered to contain the Bt toxin throughout the plant in
>order to deter insect pests.
>
>* Ladybugs Threatened by Biotech Crops
>Recent studies at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) found that
>potatoes genetically modified to deter aphids also damaged=A0 beneficial
>insects.=A0 The transgenic potatoes had snowdrop lectin (a plant protein) as
>the pest resistant gene in the potato, to suppress the aphids' feeding,
>growth and reproduction. (Ref: London Times, 22 October 1997)
>The aphids who ate the biotech potatoes were then fed to ladybugs, which
>naturally feed on the aphids.=A0 Consequently, the number of fertilized
>ladybug eggs that failed to hatch was almost three times higher.=A0 Also
>female ladybugs who fed on these aphids only lived half as=20 long.
>As stated by the SCRI: "Our current experiments highlight the importance of
>assessing all trangenic crops genetically engineered for pest resistance in
>this way to be sure that any new type of pest-resistant crop plant does not
>jeopardize the delicate balance between pests and beneficial insects in
>agricultural ecosystems."
>
>* Misleading Beans
>Albert Heijn, the biggest Dutch retail grocery chain, was found guilty of
>misleading advertising in promoting biotech soybeans as having the same
>quality as natural soybeans. Following complaints filed by the Dutch
>Natural Law Party, the Advertisement Code Commission in the Netherlands
>decided that Albert Heijn was guilty of false advertising and asked the
>company to stop making the misleading claims. Albert Heijn is part of the
>multinational retail chain Ahold, which subsequently filed an appeal. The
>Appeal Commission recently came to its decision and again found Albert
>Heijn guilty of false advertising.
>
>* Farmyard Freaks
>By manipulating a gene related to muscularity, scientists recently produced
>a genetically engineered Belgian Blue bull with 20 per cent more beef than
>normal and weighing three-quarters of a tonne. Such animals engineered for
>increased muscle/meat content typically do not have the bones to support
>their own flesh. Hulking Belgian Blues can scarcely walk.
>Other genetically engineered animals include fast-growing pigs with painful
>joints, as their legs are tiny compared to the rest of the=20 body;
>fast-growing chickens that suffer from heart disease and whose bones are so
>feeble they break on contact; and turkeys that are so fleshy that they
>cannot physically mate, but require artificial insemination.
>
>* Biotech Cotton Failure
>In Mississippi, farmers could lose millions of dollars due to the failure
>of biotech herbicide-resistant cotton.=A0 Over an area of several thousand
>hectares, cotton plants have shed their cotton bolls, or produced small
>malformed bolls.=A0 Cotton plants from non-GE varieties were not affected.
>Legal proceeding by the farmers against the manufacterer are in progress.
>(Ref:=A0 New Scientist, 1 November 1997)
>
>* Co-Op Begins Biotech Labeling
>Shutoken, a large consumer's co-operative union in Japan, which includes 14
>co-operatives in the Tokyo area, is now labeling foods that are free of
>genetically engineered ingredients. So far, this system covers 17 major
>items, including Japanese mainstays like miso, tofu and shoyu. Plans are
>already underway to greatly expand the number of foods carrying the special
>label.
>
>_________________________________________________________
>Richard Wolfson,=A0 PhD
>Consumer Right to Know Campaign,
>for Mandatory Labelling and Long-term
>Testing of all Genetically Engineered Foods,
>500 Wilbrod Street
>Ottawa, ON=A0 Canada=A0 K1N 6N2
>email:=A0 rwolfson@concentric.net
>
>Our website, http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/geindex.html
>contains more information on genetic engineering.
>
>To receive regular news on genetic engineering and this
>campaign, please send an email message with 'subscribe GE'
>to rwolfson@concentric.net for details. To unsubscribe, send
>the message "unsubscribe"
>__________________________________________________________
>__________________________________________________________
>
An organic growers homepage check out
http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html

To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with "unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".