Misinformed US farmers buy Bt corn seed
(If you are a US farmer thinking of growing Bt corn next year then think
twice. Here's why..........)
One of the largest GM crops grown in the world is Bt corn, engineered to be
toxic to certain insect pests. Given the massive extent of its adoption to
date in the US it would be logical to think it offers great benefits to
farmers. But it doesn't. Rather the opposite.
The principal reason that US farmers have planted so much Bt corn in
previous years is because (as with most other GM crops) they have not had
adequate access to independent information on how it performs in practice
As the spring planting season approaches in the northern hemisphere we are
pleased to be able to offer assistance in plugging this information gap for
US farmers. In the context of the information given below we believe it is
likely that only misinformed farmers in the US will be planting Bt corn in
2000.
Even ignoring the vital fact that US Bt corn is increasingly unsaleable in
export markets, our advice to US farmers who wish to maximise their profits
in the coming season, but who have already purchased Bt corn seed for 2000,
is simple - "Take it back to your seed merchant now".
For more information on the poor performance and agronomic problems of other
GM crops including soya, cotton, sugar beet and canola (oilseed rape) visit
the NLP Wessex web site.
NATURAL LAW PARTY WESSEX
nlpwessex@bigfoot.com
www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex
============================================================================
Extracts from NLP Wessex web page, "Will GM crops deliver benefits to
farmers?" http://www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/gmagric.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
1) Because of the extra cost of the GM seed most farmers growing Bt Corn
will not gain any economic benefit - report on "The Economics of BT Corn and
its adoption Implications" (University of Purdue, October 1998):
"For the average Indiana farmer, the results of the study reported in this
publication suggest that current premiums charged for Bt seed are higher
than the expected value of the protection offered by the seed."
2) A report form the University of Guelph, Canada, reveals that corn growers
should not rely on Bt gm varieties for improved profits. Bt corn varieties
only economically out-perform similar non-gm varieties one year in three and
Bt varieties rarely outyield good conventional hybrids.
In this Novartis financed study Bt hybrids were compared with their non-Bt
controls in 40 plots across Ontario in 1996 and 1997. In addition, popular
conventional hybrids adapted to each area were also included.
Commenting on these findings Pioneer Hi-Bred agronomist Tim Welbanks says
(AgBiotechNet July 99):
"The Guelph study is probably pretty realistic. As long as borer pressures
are so hard to predict, you do have to look at Bt as insurance....it isn't
going to pay every year."
3) Genetically engineered insecticide Bt crops have been hitting a lot of
problems. It has been recommended that farmers in some US states plant at
least 50% of their crop in non-Bt varieties in the case of corn in order to
try and stop the rapid development of pest resistance and the break down of
the technology.
Dr Erick Larson comments on the yield and agronomic track
record of Bt corn varieties in Mississippi. Even after several seasons of
commercial use he regards the technology as unproven and recommends against
using it except on a trial basis (Missippi State University Extension
Service, Agronomy Notes 15 March, 1999):
"Bt corn hybrids are an unproven technology in the South. Bt corn should
effectively control Southwestern and European corn borers and have moderate
control on corn earworms and fall armyworms. However, data does not support
whether hybrids containing this technology will yield well and have the
agronomic characteristics similar to the best conventional hybrids in
Mississippi. Considering the significant problems experienced with
transgenic traits in other crops during the last several years, growers
should be extremely cautious of any unproven technology. I do not recommend
using Bt corn, except on a trial basis (one or two bags), unless a severe
corn borer problem existed in your immediate area last year."
4) Hal Wilson at the Department of Entomology, Ohio State University has
questioned the benefits of paying premiums to use Bt maize given that
studies of European corn borer injury indicate that there was no difference
in yield between Bt and non-Bt lines according to AgBiotechNet (15 October
1999):
"This is the third year that Wilson and his colleagues have conducted
comparison trials between a set of Bt-maize hybrids and their equivalent
isolines at both the Western and Northwestern Branch Stations....The corn
borer injury results accumulated to date from these two locations raises
questions regarding the economic benefits of investing in Bt-maize hybrids
if such technology must be purchased at premium prices."
5) NC-205 is a regional research committee supported by Land Grant
Universities, USDA-CSREES and ARS. It is comprised of scientists from 20 US
states, Mexico and Canada who have conducted research on stalk-boring pests
since 1954.
The supplement to: "Bt Corn & European Corn Borer: Long-Term Success Through
Resistance Management, NCR-602," published by its Regional Research
Committee, NC-205, October 1998, identifies wider concerns regarding the
negative impact on beneficial insects arising from the adoption of Bt corn
varieties:
"Because of the extensive acreage that may be planted to Bt corn in the near
future, this technology has potential to have widespread and lasting impacts
on beneficial insects. One concern involves the effect of substantial local
or regional declines in the natural enemy prey base that could result from
widespread adoption of Bt corn. Additionally, direct Bt toxicity to natural
enemies has recently been suggested (Hilbeck et al. 1998a, 1998b). These
effects could ripple through other crops and habitats in unpredictable
ways."
6) There is a large vacuum of independent testing and reliable information
on GM crops, which is causing a situation where US farmers are adopting GM
crops without objective economic and husbandry justification according to
Professor Charles Hagedorn, Virginia Tech University (Crop and Soil
Environmental News, May 1998):
"As growers make decisions this year about whether or not to try the new
transgenic cotton varieties, they should remember that most of the new
transgenics have not been through several years of public testing that is
'standard practice' with new conventional cotton varieties. This situation
is as true for other transgenic crops (e.g. soybeans and corn) as it is for
cotton."
============================================================================
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON AGRONOMIC AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS WITH BT CORN:
Novartis desperate to prevent GM Bt corn crop obsolescence -
http://www.netlink.de/gen/Zeitung/1998/980921.htm
Problems with Bt corn including up to 40% Non-Bt-Corn Refuges to slow down
GM technology breakdown - University of Illinois review
http://spectre.ag.uiuc.edu/cespubs/pest/articles/199824a.html
Novartis GM Bt corn needs additional pesticides -
http://www.netlink.de/gen/Zeitung/1999/991215a.htm
Insecticide from GM corn seeps into soil - study
http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/NewsNov-Dec99/GEN12-2BtLeak1FishHagel.html
US livestock won't eat Bt corn
www.btinternet.com/~nlpwessex/Documents/gmanimalgrazing.htm
Corn Growers Association advises US growers to consider abandoning GM
varieties in 2000 (see second item)
http://www.natural-law.ca/genetic/NewsJuly-Aug99/GEN8-25DeutscheCorn.html
Bt corn refuges proposed by corn growers and biotech industry to increase to
minimum 50% in southern US to fight GM pest technology breakdown
http://www.ncga.com/02profits/insectMgmtPlan/fig1a.htm
Non-target effects of Bt corn pollen on the Monarch butterfly
http://www.ent.iastate.edu/entsoc/ncb99/prog/abs/d81.html
Non-target effects of Bt corn on lacewings
http://www.biotech-info.net/beneficials2.html
Bt Crops and their Impacts on Insects and Food Webs
http://www.biotech-info.net/insects2.html
============================================================================