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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Kevin Ancell" <kancell AT goodearthgardens.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: GMO is HERE
  • Date: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 04:51:41 -0500


Nearly 80 seed companies find biotech contamination


April 23, 2001



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WASHINGTON (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation -

Nearly 80 seed companies have found corn seed contaminated with traces of a
biotech variety linked to nationwide recalls of taco shells, according to
the Agriculture Department.

USDA has agreed to buy the contaminated corn to ensure that it doesn't get
planted. Some 77 of the 281 companies in the United States have asked for
the purchase contracts, USDA spokesman Kevin Herglotz said Monday. Another
68 companies are still testing their seed.

``The important thing was to get (the buyback program) up and running, to
make sure we could prevent any potentially contaminated seed from being
planted,'' Herglotz said.

The department has estimated, based on information supplied by the
companies, that less than 1 percent of the 40 million bags of corn seed
produced for planting this year contains some trace of the biotech variety,
known as StarLink.

StarLink was approved only for animal consumption because of unanswered
questions about its safety for humans, but it was found last fall in taco
shells and other products.

USDA has estimated the buyback program will cost taxpayers about dlrs 20
million. The department is expected to pay about dlrs 35 to dlrs 50 per bag
for the contaminated seed. Corn seed retails for about dlrs 75 a bag.

The National Corn Growers Association has warned farmers against buying seed
not certified as StarLink-free and has asked the Agriculture Department for
helping in getting that message to growers through its network of field
agents.

Farmers also have been advised to avoid contaminating their corn crops with
stray StarLink plants that will sprout this spring from grain left in fields
from last fall's harvest.









  • GMO is HERE, Kevin Ancell, 04/24/2001

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