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Fedco Does Not Knowingly Carry Genetically Engineered Seeds Please note the word “knowingly.” Because of the possibility of contamination, over which we have no control, our pledge necessarily stops short of being an absolute guarantee. Although we will not sell any variety represented to us as transgenic, we will not be held legally responsible if any of our seed tests positive for genetically modified organisms. We have been advised not to sign any blanket statements such as “GMO free” that require us to state with certainty that our products are pure. Please do not submit such statements with your order. We apologize for having to split legal hairs, but we all share the reality of genetic drift. We Test Sweet Corn Seed for GMOs One maize plant can produce 18 million grains of pollen. Because corn pollen is transmitted by wind, corn is at risk for contamination from nearby genetically engineered fields. To help ensure the purity of our seed, we have for the past nine years employed industry leader Genetic ID to test random samples of our lots for the presence of genetically modified organisms. We have removed from our inventory and our catalog any lots that have tested positive for GMO contamination or show trace indications of GMO presence. A negative test result, while not guaranteeing genetic purity, improves your chances that the seed is uncontaminated. These tests are expensive, but in a time of genetic roulette, they are necessary though not sufficient to assure seed purity. Only if the seed trade takes an adamant position that we will not tolerate GE contamination in our product can we maintain any integrity in our seed supply. Bio-Tech Bytes • One reason why agricultural markets in commodity crops are being dominated by transgenic seeds is the aggressive strategy of the biotech giants. According to David Quist, senior scientist at Norway’s Center for Biosafety, an overwhelming majority of corn seed varieties and nearly all seed varieties offered by six of the United States’ largest seed sellers are GM. “Farmers are starting to see that they have few to no non-GMO options,” forcing them to choose transgenics to get the varietal genetics they want. • Big victory in sugarbeet case: On Sept. 21 Federal District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White ruled in favor of plaintiffs in the Roundup Ready sugarbeet lawsuit, finding that the USDA-APHIS had violated the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) in deregulating the transgenic sugarbeets without first properly preparing the required environmental impact statement. As we go to press, the remedy phase is beginning. Plaintiffs are seeking a moratorium on the planting, sale and distribution of Roundup Ready beets until a full environmental assessment is completed. Fedco filed an affidavit with the court in support of this suit and our customers contributed more than $5,000 in donations to help defray the Center for Food Safety’s costs in preparing it. • As Maine goes so goes the nation? Thanks to superb work by lobbyist Logan Perkins, the Maine Legislature, by a margin of one vote in the Senate, passed a first-in-the-nation 3-year moratorium on outdoor production of GE pharmaceutical crops in the State. • As the nation goes, so goes Maine? In Mar. 2009 the Maine Board of Pesticides Control (BPC) voted to allow the sale of genetically engineered Bt sweet corn in the state. Previously Maine had been the only state where this product was not registered. Maine growers have a statutory right to ask for advance notice from any neighbor planning to apply pesticides or to sow pesticide-incorporated crops such as Bt corn within 500' of their property. • Monsanto investigated: As part of a broad investigation into competition and consolidation in the seed industry, the Justice Department and the USDA have questioned Monsanto about whether their marketing tactics to expand their dominance in GE seeds violated antitrust statutes. Monsanto’s transgenic genes are in 96% of US soybean crops and 80% of corn crops. At least two states are conducting their own independent antitrust investigations of Monsanto. (Olney, ILL Daily Mail Sept. 30, 2009, quoted by Organic Consumers Association) • Lethal cocktails: Researchers in France found that the presence of other chemical ingredients (so-called “adjuvants” usually considered “inert” and protected as trade secrets) greatly amplified glyphosate’s toxic effects. This could help explain why Roundup has been found to be toxic to frogs and is likely implicated in the recent drastic global decrease of amphibian populations. (Science in Society 26,12,2005) http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GTARW.php • Unsafe to consume: Concluding that “there is more than a casual association between genetically modified foods and adverse health effects,” the American Academy of Environmental Medicine called for a moratorium on GE foods. (MOF&G, July-Sept. 2009, p.9.) • Biotech companies thwarting research? In a statement submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency, 26 corn-insect researchers, mainly from land-grant universities with big agricultural programs, charged that biotechnology companies are keeping universities from fully researching the effectiveness and environmental impact of their GE crops by restricting scientists’ access to their seeds. (New York Times, Feb. 19, 2009). Links to: Terminator Technology, Biotechnology (We Are As Gods, Debunking Biotech Myths), Monsanto Buys Seminis, Conference Keynote Speeches |
At
our 1996 Annual Meeting we voted unanimously not to knowingly offer
for sale any transgenic variety because the new gene technologies
pose unacceptable risks to the environment. In 1999 we affirmed
and clarified that position and will follow the guidelines of the
Fedco Seeds, PO Box 520, Waterville, ME 04903
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Copyright
Fedco Seeds Inc.
November 24, 2009
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