From: "NLP Wessex" <nlpwessex@bigfoot.com>
Novartis desperate to prevent GM Bt crop obsolescence
Below is an interesting press release issued by Novartis detailing their latest attempt to
halt rapid build up of pest resistance to their Bt GM varieties of maize, which is an
inevitable result of the technology being used (because the Bt toxin is embedded in every
cell of every plant it means that there are permanent levels of pesticide in the crop
throughout the growing season leading to rapid resistance mutation in target species).
In order to combat this phenomenon complex management regimes have to be established (for
a detailed example of Monsanto's Ingard GM Cotton regime visit
www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/documents/gmagric.htm. This strategy has been so
unsuccessful that earlier this year Monsanto had to withdraw its 'value guarantee' to
farmers in relation to that product).
It is clear from Novartis' press release below that farmers are not adopting these
strategies, in all probability because they are too complex for realistic use in a
commercial farming situation. The result is that unless a solution is found urgently this
technology (as previously predicted by many) is soon going to become ineffective in
relation to the purpose for which it was introduced - i.e pest control without the use of
chemicals. This intended, but ultimately unachievable, objective is frequently paraded by
proponents of GM technology in order to promote it on the false claim of developing
environmental sustainability.
In effect Novartis are now having to offer payments to farmers to adopt complex management
programmes hurriedly introduced in a desperate attempt to maintain the intended efficacy
of their own technology.
No supply merchant offers payments or discounts to farmers unless he has to. This can only
be an indication of the level of concern held by Novartis that this technology is in
danger of becoming unsustainable very quickly.
A further indication of the futility of the embedded GM pesticide concept is the fact that
Novartis are now recommending that up to 40% of the crop should be retained as non-GM in
order to provide "refuges" for part of the pest population in order to reduce
its susceptibility to rapidly develop resistance by over-exposure to the embedded
pesticide.
What is particularly interesting is that Novartis state: "We didn't make an insect
resistance management recommendation until the scientific community developed a
research-based recommendation". This is a stark admission that the technology was
introduced in the first place before proper research had been done.
Of course, many people knew that but no one expected them to boast about it in their own
press releases. What is more it has taken them five years to come up with a strategy which
looks unlikely to succeed.
Their most revealing boast, however, is that : "We made headlines last year as the
first seed company to publicly support a science-based IRM strategy." This confirms
what many already knew - in the rush to gain market share science based strategies are a
bit of a rarity for the whole of the biotechnology industry.
From Novartis' own admissions it is clear that the crops being grown are
absolutely experimental. This is despite the biotechnology adverts in our
newspapers claiming that these products have been subject to rigorous testing procedures
regulated by numerous governments across the globe.
If the biotechnologists are unable to anticipate relatively simple interactions of these
crops with lower animals such as insects, what hope is there that they are in a position
to anticipate their interaction with more complex species such as the mammals (including
us) who finally eat them? This after all is their ultimate purpose. Remember, we are not
talking about pesticide residues here, we are talking about foreign genetic material which
is embedded in every cell of every plant.
Meanwhile the population at large is being fed foods derived from these experimental
creations which are laden with virus and bacterial components which have never been an
integral part of the human diet. In most case this is being done without either our
knowledge or our consent (EU labelling laws only cover 5% of foods containing GM derived
material).
(Natural Law Party Wessex)
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Financial News
Novartis Seeds Expands Insect Resistance Management Program;
Bt Stewardship Incentive Rewards Farmers for Establishing Refuges
DATELINE: GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn., Sept. 21
Novartis Seeds, Inc.-Field Crops announced plans to enhance its insect resistance
management (IRM) stewardship program for its NK(R) Brand Bt corn by offering customers a
financial incentive for following the company's recommendations. "We made headlines
last year as the first seed company to publicly support a science-based IRM
strategy," recalls Dan Hinderliter, corn product manager for Novartis Seeds.
"This year, we're going one step further by rewarding customers who chose to follow
our IRM program."
Called the Bt Stewardship Program, the financial incentive varies based on the quantity of
NK Brand YieldGard(R) or KnockOut(R) corn seed purchased. Growers who buy a significant
amount of Bt seed will receive substantial savings if at least 20 percent of their order
includes non-Bt hybrids.
With this program, we're offering to share IRM stewardship responsibilities with our customers so we can preserve this technology for years to come," Hinderliter explains.
The voluntary program comes as Bt corn acres continue to rise. In 1996, Bt corn accounted for less than one percent of all U.S. production; two years later, that number has risen to 19 percent. As Bt corn acreage increases, so does the need for farmers to adopt IRM strategies to prevent insects from developing resistance to the Bt protein expressed in NK Brand Bt corn.
Today, most entomologists believe maintaining a non-Bt corn refuge is
the most effective approach to achieve this goal.
Novartis Seeds worked closely with university scientists to develop the refuge strategies.
As a result of their five-year collaborative effort, the company adopted the guidelines
outlined by the Research and Extension Entomologists of the North Central Regional
Research Project (NC205). Novartis Seeds and its associates remain the only major seed
company to advocate that its customers follow those guidelines.
"We didn't make an IRM recommendation until the scientific community developed a research-based recommendation," Hinderliter acknowledges. "But once they reached a consensus, we quickly adopted their recommendations as our own. Today, those guidelines remain the best available, so for 1999 we continue to encourage our customers to follow that resistance management program."
The NC205 report recommends a flexible refuge of traditional corn acres based on
variables in a grower's area. The scientists concluded that the actual amount of Bt refuge
should vary between regions, farms and corn production systems.
For example, the NC205 committee recommends a 20 percent refuge for Bt cornfields
where the conventional corn refuge will not be sprayed for European corn borer. If the
conventional corn sanctuary will be sprayed for corn borer, the recommended refuge area
increases to 40 percent of the total Bt corn acres.
Growers can obtain copies of the NC205 publication "Bt Corn and European Corn Borer: Long-Term Success Through Resistance Management" by contacting their local extension service. For details on the Novartis Seeds Bt Stewardship Discount program, growers should contact their local Novartis Seeds dealer.
Novartis Seeds, Inc. is a leading worldwide research organization that develops genetics and value-added products, and produces and sells corn, soybean, alfalfa, sunflower, sorghum, sugarbeet, vegetable and flower seeds. Novartis Seeds is part of Novartis, a world leader in Life Sciences with core business in Healthcare, Agribusiness and Nutrition.
SOURCE Novartis Seeds, Inc.
CONTACT: Amy Beeler, Manager, Media Relations of Novartis
Seeds, Inc., 612-593-7282 or fax 612-593-7808