March
1997
The
New Soybean
By Paul Clarke
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Last fall, United States farmers began harvesting
the first genetically- engineered crop intended for widespread
commercial sale -žMonsanto's "Roundup Ready" soybean (RRS), a
herbicide-resistant bean created by crossing a normal soybean
with petunia genes, viruses and bacteria. Given that soy or soy
products are contained in 60 percent of all processed foods (in
the form of soybean oil, soy flour and derivatives such as lecithin)
and that Monsanto has never tested its genetically-altered soybean
on humans, the fact that Monsanto is now selling its "Roundup
Ready" soybeans to an unsuspecting public is especially troubling.
Monsanto, a St. Louis-based multinational corporation that also created
Agent Orange and PCBs, claims that the introduction of these crops
will reduce the overall amount of herbicide used. Monsanto also claims
that its herbicide, Roundup, is "environmentally friendly" and "safe." Other
herbicides used on soybeans and other crops are unquestionably harmful
to the environment and human health. The question, however, is whether
Roundup is really any less harmful, and whether herbicide-resistant
plants will reduce the amount of damaging chemicals in the environment.
Increased Herbicide Use
Roundup is the trade name of Monsanto's glyphosate herbicide. The only
difference in the genetically-engineered soybean is that it will be
able to withstand exposure to the herbicide, allowing farmers to apply
it even after the soybean has started to grow. Glyphosate is used to
kill crop weeds, and has been implicated in human health problems and
environmental damage. In California, glyphosate is the third most commonly-reported
cause of herbicide-related illness among agricultural workers. This
is due at least in part to the other toxic compounds found in most
glyphosate herbicides. These are serious irritants of the respiratory
tract, eyes and skin and are contaminated with a suspected carcinogen.
Recent work shows that glyphosate can be readily released from certain
types of soil particles, and therefore may leach into water or be absorbed
by plants.
The introduction of crops engineered to be resistant to glyphosate
could have damaging effects and could increase (rather than decrease,
as Monsanto claims) the use of the herbicide, and may encourage the
emergence of herbicide-resistant weeds. With repeated exposure to an
herbicide, weeds build up a tolerance to the toxins, requiring additional
application. Weeds resistant to another herbicide, triazine, have been
estimated to cost farmers up to $10 per acre in extra weed-control
expense.
The introduction of herbicide-resistant crops is also troubling in
terms of "genetic pollution" - related species could develop herbicide
tolerance through normal cross-pollination. This potential for permanent
environmental damage is particularly applicable to Australia and Asia,
where wild, weedy varieties of soybean exist. If these plants develop
a resistance, not only would crops require additional applications
of herbicide, but the entire ecosystem would face the potential of
being overrun by herbicide-tolerant weeds.
Impacts On Human Health
The direct impact on our health (apart from the known impacts of higher
herbicide use) are unknown. The Roundup Ready soybean is a genetic
experiment with our bodies. It is known that allergens can be transferred
via genetic engineering. A previous experiment involved introducing
gene segments from the Brazil nut into a soybean. When the new organism
was tested with serum samples from people with known allergies to Brazil
nuts, it was found that those people would also be allergic to the
new soybean. It is impossible to determine the possible allergenic
effects of the Roundup Ready soybean, because the organisms used to
engineer the plant are totally foreign to the human diet. Since soya
is in such a wide variety of foods, it would be difficult to trace
soya as an allergen. And without labeling of products containing genetically-engineered
soybeans, determining food allergies would be impossible. Monsanto
is currently fighting against the labeling of the genetically-engineered
soybeans because they know that, given the choice, consumers would
avoid such food.
Monsanto's economic plan for itself is clear, but there is no provision
in it for the American farmer. Soybeans are our second largest agricultural
export, with 39% of soybean exports going to Western Europe. European
consumers are very concerned with the quality and safety of their food,
especially in light of "mad cow" disease and other recent food safety
issues. More than 100 European retailers and food processors are calling
for strict labeling requirements to preserve consumers' right to know
and choose what they feed their families. Some of the world's largest
retailers and food processors, including Safeway UK and Kraft Jacobs
Suchard, are seeking sources of guaranteed non-genetically manipulated
beans. Norwegian companies have already ordered soybeans from Canada,
where no RRS was planted. Other food processors are going as far as
reformulating their products to avoid soy, and the related problems,
altogether.
American farmers have been victimized by Monsanto before. Recently,
Monsanto genetically engineered rBGH, a controversial growth hormone
designed to make cows produce more milk. Monsanto introduced rBGH despite
the fact that there was an existing surplus of milk, thereby driving
down the price. Farmers and consumer groups in the U.S. have protested
against its use, and the European Union has banned it until at least
the year 2000.
Greenpeace opposes the release of any genetically-engineered organism
into our environment, and is working to ensure that the entire U.S.
supply of natural soybeans is not contaminated with Monsanto's RRS.
In order to preserve the integrity of our soybean harvest, normal soybeans
should not be mixed with RRS. American farmers should also be aware
that consumers are opposed to future planting of genetically-engineered
soybeans. For the sake of our environment, the health of our children,
and the livelihood of American farmers, we should steer clear of Monsanto's
Roundup Ready Soybean, this year and every year.
Paul Clarke works at Greenpeace. For on-line
information about this Greenpeace campaign, check out Greenpeace's
WebSite
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