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This release was a minor regulatory difficulty for the biotech industry. Federal approval of the ZW-20 petition set a precedent that has allowed rapid review/approval of subsequent petitions for commercial release of transgenic lines. This, in turn, has forced a more focused examination of biological impacts of 'escaped' transgenes. Developments in this area, especially information available via the internet, will be recorded here. Information for posting on this page can be sent to Hugh Wilson.
This issue provides a direct interface with a fundamental problem - those agencies of the U.S. government responsible for regulating commercial activities are usually involved with the promotion of those activities. This promotional function, and concordant close association with the industry, is clearly expressed by the USDA-APHIS-BSS website and the simple fact that this unit has rarely - if ever - declined a permit request from the biotech industry. The classic 'revolving door' signal of governmental corruption is also present (see 'un-safe science' for more detail).
My contact person at USDA-APHIS for this report was Dr.Val
Giddings. According to Corporate
Watch (see Government
Workers Go Biotech):
"Also putting on the industry hat this month was L. Val Giddings. Less than two weeks ago, Giddings' went from being a biotechnology regulator at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA/APHIS) to being the vice president for food and agriculture at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Giddings, who had been a member of the U.S. delegation at the first meeting of the Open Ended Ad Hoc Working Group on a Biosafety Protocol, attended last week's second meeting on the protocol as the representative of BIO."This oversight process included rigorous review and preparation of site-specific environmental assessments for each field test...(Dr. Giddings on the job)
The Asgrow Seed Company,
producing of the ZW-20 squash and a subsidary of the Upjohn Company when
this report was produced, was evidently sold in 1995, to Empressas La Moderna
(ELM), an affiliate of the Pulsar Internacional group of companies based
in Monterrey, Mexico. The Monsanto Company, winner of a recent greenwash
award, purchased Asgrow Agronomics from Mexico's Empresas La Moderna
(ELM) in 1996
for $240 million. However, this
report suggests that the topic of the report presented here - Asgrow's
ZW-20 squash (known as 'Freedom II') - is no longer on the market and this
product is no longer a part of Asgrow's
history.
May, 1999 - from the trenches (Greenpeace - the Monarch flap and Mexican Maize) and the British Medical Association Board of Science and Education
November, 1999 - Farmers concerned (and Val Giddings on the job)
March, 2000 - Field of Genes, Blowin' in the Wind (a great gene flow story), and Food Fight (Canadian Broadcasting), with June update.
June, 2000 - The biotech/gene flow issue moves to another level - see The Terminator
November, 2000 - View
from Vatican City
Overviews:
First multiple HT GM gene-flow discovered in UK OSR trials
Ten Reasons why farmers should think twice before growing GE crops ("Will genetic pollution expose you to lawsuits...")
Beyond crops, GM Technology in the Forest Sector (World Wildlife Fund)
Poison Plants? Genetically modified crops, grown over much of the U.S., remain controversial (Scientific American)
The Great Gene Escape by Josie Glausiusz (Discover Magazine, May Issue - link extracted from their site)
Killer weeds - from the Whyfiles
Benefits and risks of genetic modification in agriculture (Nature debate)
Biotech News from Britain - The Wildflower News
The GMO Crop (mis)Information Page (pro vs. con links - University of Georgia)
Research Articles:
A- or C-chromosomes, does it matter for the transfer of transgenes from Brassica napus
Genetic diversity and gene flow between wild, cultivated and weedy forms of Beta vulgaris L. (Chenopodiaceae), assessed by RFLP and microsatellite markers (see also: Genetic evidence for the origin of Californian wild beets (genus Beta))
Evidence for gene flow between wild and cultivated Medicago sativa
(Leguminosae) based on
allozyme
markers and quantitative traits
Long-term introgression of crop genes into wild sunflower populations
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