Federal probe targets biotech firms' genetic corn
By John Duchemin
Advertiser Staff Writer
Federal regulators' decision to investigate two biotechnology companies' corn crops in Hawai'i puts the state in a worldwide debate on the safety and desirability of genetically modified crops.
The Environmental Protection Agency said yesterday that the companies, Mycogen on Moloka'i and Pioneer Hi-Bred on Kaua'i, failed inspections at their genetically modified corn plots. A consumer group charges that nearby corn crops — many of which are eventually exported around the globe — are in danger of contamination by unapproved, genetically modified pollen, placing public health at risk.
The companies insisted yesterday that their practices are safe and disagreed with the EPA's assessment. But with Hawai'i emerging as one of the biotechnology world's favorite spots to test new crops, any inkling of improper planting warrants an in-depth investigation of the hundreds of experimental crops in Hawai'i, said the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington consumer health advocacy group.
"The danger is that the pollen from these crops could get out into the wild, into the environment, or into the food supply," said Gregory Jaffe, head of the center's biotechnology project. "We have nothing against genetically modified crops that are approved as safe to eat. But it's very disturbing that biotechnology companies would be doing field-test experiments that don't meet the conditions needed to ensure safety for the environment and public health."
Genetic modification of food crops is considered the wave of the future in agriculture. Companies are not only modifying crops to enhance taste, size, color and flavor, but are also trying to increase yields by making crops that are resistant to drought or pests. Others are trying to make disease-fighting plants: One experimental corn crop recently planted in Hawai'i is designed to produce human hormones that fight herpes.
But such practices have also incited worldwide concern by consumers, scientists, governments and activist groups, who fear that genetically modified crops, if improperly controlled, could have harmful effects on human health and the environment.
The center and other groups said yesterday they will use the EPA's recent Hawai'i action as ammunition for tighter regulation of genetically modified crops.
In its enforcement action, the EPA said that Pioneer, a subsidiary of DuPont Chemical, planted 20 acres of genetically modified corn at an unapproved test site at its Waimea Research Center on Kaua'i. The corn is altered to produce its own pesticide that fights corn rootworm, but has not been approved for use as a food crop.
Pioneer also planted the crop too close to other types of corn that have been approved for use, the EPA said.
Pioneer was supposed to leave a quarter-mile gap between the experimental crop and its other crops, far enough away to keep the plants' pollen from mingling.
On Moloka'i, Mycogen, a subsidiary of Dow AgroSciences, failed to use proper tree and plant barriers that would help contain its genetically modified corn pollen, the EPA said.
The EPA plans to file formal complaints against the companies by Aug. 30, the agency said in letters to the companies dated Aug. 5. If the companies don't address the agency's concerns they face $5,500 in fines for each violation, said EPA lawyer David Kim, assistant counsel of the agency's regional office in San Francisco.
Pioneer spokesman Doyle Karr said yesterday, however, that the EPA action is a routine matter, and said his company makes every effort to keep its strains of experimental corn from contaminating crops grown for food.
The company puts bags over the corn plants' tassels to keep the pollen from becoming airborne, and also pollinates each plant by hand, Karr said. Crops are bordered by other plants and the entire experiment is destroyed after use, Karr said.
"This is a very prescribed process, and these crops are more tightly scrutinized than any other food we eat," he said yesterday from Pioneer's headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa. "We believe we followed the EPA regulations, so right now we're pooling our information and trying to figure out why the EPA believes differently."
In a written statement, a Dow spokesman said his company is taking the EPA action "very seriously."
"We are aggressively investigating the matter," said Pete Siggelko, vice president for plant genetics and biotechnology. "At no time was there any risk to human health and safety and the environment."
But activists said yesterday that the EPA's action against Pioneer and Mycogen suggests the federal government is paying more attention to big companies' biotechnology experiments in Hawai'i, which has become one of the world's top test sites for genetically modified crops.
Major agricultural firms for years have planted these crops in small plots in Hawai'i, which is viewed as an ideal place for genetic experiments. The Islands' geographic isolation and mild climate provide a good planting ground with a low risk of contaminating other crops.
In recent years, companies including Pioneer, Monsanto and Dow have also increasingly used Hawai'i as a spot to grow out "parent crops" of government-approved, genetically altered corn and other crops. These seeds are then distributed to farmers worldwide.
But the danger of contamination by unapproved modified corn, Jaffe said, is higher than if the experimental corn were grown in isolation.
"It concerns me that these companies have been doing this for years," he said. "If they have been doing this so long, why are they still making these mistakes?"
Reach John Duchemin at jduchemin@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8062.
