Compiled from Internet news sources by Trout Rogers

And in Other Biotech News…

Compiled from Internet news sources by Trout Rogers

Aventis Lawsuits Mounting:

Aventis, the manufacturer of Starlink corn, is being slapped with a series of class-action lawsuits by farmers across the USA.

Farmers are seeking compensation for financial damage from cross-pollination and commingling of the unapproved corn with regular varieties.

Food industry consultants say that Starlink will cost the food industry billions of dollars and highlights the problems with monitoring and the lack of labeling.

Nematodes Infest Biotech Corn:

Research recently published in the Journal of Cotton Science shows that biotech cotton is more susceptible to the root-knot nematode, a widespread and serious insect pest of cotton.

In the past, cotton was bred to be resistant to the pest, while new biotech varieties show increased infestation and nematode damage.

This finding highlights the potential for weakened traits in genetic varieties due to the unpredictable side effects of genetic manipulation.

Superweeds Spreading:

Many recent studies are showing that herbicide resistant biotech canola plants have escaped and crossbred with each other to form plants stronger than their parents.

These plants, which cannot be killed by most pesticides, are sprouting up in wheat fields and other areas where farmers do not want them.

Farmers often have to resort to more powerful pesticides — often `cocktails' or combinations of toxins — the very chemicals that the engineered plants were designed to render obsolete.

Biotech Rice Fraud:

Genetically engineered `golden rice' that produced vitamin A was promoted by the biotech industry as a solution to blindness and malnutrition in the third world.

However, it has now been shown that the rice (at best) could only generate a small fraction of the vitamin A initially promised, making the initial claims unrealizable.

It would require a person to eat three pounds of uncooked rice per day to see any benefit. Vandana Shiva continues to dispel the biotech myth of golden rice.

Biotech Weaklings:

Researchers at Imperial College in London England found that biotech crops are much less hardy than traditional varieties.

The team studied biotech canola, corn, sugar beet, and potatoes over ten years. They showed that, when untended by people, all four of the crops tended to curl up and die.

Of the 48 plots planted with these crops, 47 went extinct within four years.

Contaminated Honey:

Beekeepers in the Australian state of Tasmania face potential ruin amid fears that Europe will not buy their honey because their bees were contaminated with genetically engineered canola pollen.

Biotech companies Monsanto and Aventis convinced the beekeepers to place their hives close to GE canola crops to facilitate pollination and increase production.

Maine Passes Genetic Contamination Bill:

L.D. 1266 _ introduced by Representative Linda Rogers-McKee _ has been signed into law.

It requires manufacturers or seed dealers to provide written instructions to all growers on how to plant, grow, and harvest crops to minimize potential contamination of non-genetically modified crops or wild plant populations.

The bill also requires the manufacturer or seed dealer to maintain a list of the names and addresses of all Maine growers of its GE plants, and to allow access to the list when necessary.

Failure to comply may result in a civil fine of up to $1,500, or loss or suspension of the violator's license to do business in Maine.

Tobacco with Human Genes:

Researchers in London, Ontario have inserted a human gene into tobacco plants.

The scientists are trying to turn the tobacco plant into a drug factory that produces pharmaceuticals that can be marketed for huge profits.

The Roman Catholic Church spoke out against research that mixes genes between humans and plants, creating a "Chimeric human being."