December 21, 2007
UNIT 7: PlantsWill Europe Open Its Doors to Genetically-Modified Crops?
For the last decade, much of the corn grown in the United States has been Bt corn, a genetically modified type of corn that is resistant to pests. Bt corn carries a gene from a bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, to produce a protein that is toxic corn borers — caterpillars that devastate corn crops by boring into and eating corn cobs. Bt corn offers some advantages over standard corn. Farmers may no longer use or use less of expensive insecticides to protect their crops, which in turn could help protect other, helpful insects that are killed off by the insecticides. Some researchers also argue that genetically modified organisms (GMOs) that have higher yields would allow the world to raise food production to record levels.
But Bt corn has had opponents right from the start. Some opponents worried that the widespread use of Bt corn could eventually cause the evolution of Bt-resistant corn borers. Others argued that the Bt corn’s genes would end up making their way into other types of native corn or perhaps even into other organisms, and that not enough was known about the impact GMO crops on ecosystems. Nonetheless, Bt corn and other GMO foods were embraced by U.S. farmers, and the Federal Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency approved their use in agriculture.
In Europe, however, the outcry against GMO foods was louder and more consistent, and for a decade the member nations of the European Union (EU) have maintained a moratorium on planting any GMO crops. This has meant that GMO seeds and the crops they produce cannot be sold in EU nations. In November of 2007, the environmental commissioner of the European Union, Stavros Dimas, announced that the EU would propose to maintain its ban of Bt corn, which now makes up 40% of the U.S. corn crop. Dimas specifically cited concerns over monarch butterflies and other insects that could be adversely affected by Bt corn.
The biotech industry that makes GMO products such as Bt corn insists that science backs up its claims that GMO crops and foods are safe for people and the environment. The European Federation of Biotechnology complained that Mr. Dimas was ignoring the fact that the majority of scientific papers on Bt corn suggest that the product is safe. “We are seeing ‘advice-resistant’ politicians pursuing their own agendas,” said one plant researcher.
Dimas and other EU representatives countered the industry arguments by pointing out that the jury is still out on the effects of GMO crops. "Commissioner Dimas has the utmost faith in science," said Barbara Helfferich, spokeswoman for the Environment Commission. "But, there are times when diverging scientific views are on the table." She added that Dimas was acting as a "risk manager."
The issue is complicated by international trade agreements that are designed to promote fair trade among nations. Specifically, the World Trade Organization (WTO) could decide that the EU’s moratorium against GMO crops is not based on science and is therefore subject to penalties if the moratorium affects trade adversely. The U.S. is also eager to see the EU accept GMO crops such as Bt corn, so that U.S. corn products can be marketed in EU nations. “The United States has consistently stated that the E.U. continues to lack a predictable, workable process for approving these products in a way that reflects scientific rather than political factors,” said a U.S. spokesman.
Dimas’s proposal has yet to be finalized, and both sides of the issue are curious to find out how the EU will ultimately rule on Bt corn.