Maine allows farms to grow modified corn

The Board of Pesticides Control approves Bt corn as animal feed, despite the fears of organic farmers.
By CRAIG CROSBY Blethen Maine News Service July 28, 2007
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WATERVILLE — Maine joined the rest of the nation Friday in
allowing the use of a genetically modified corn that is resistant
to insects.

Citing a mandate to try to reduce the use of pesticides, the
Board of Pesticides Control approved applications by Dow
AgroSciences, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Monsanto to
register seven Bt corn products to be grown for animal feed.

While allowing the corn to be grown in Maine for the first time,
the board plans to develop rules for the crops' use to alleviate
organic farmers' fears of contamination.

"I'm only going to be able to say there aren't unreasonable risks
if we add some conditions (for use)," said the board's
chairwoman, Dr. Carol A. Eckert.

The board voted 6-0 to approve the applications under the
conditions that the three companies report sales data to the
board and support education and training. The board also
agreed 6-0 -- John Jemison Jr. abstained from both votes for
unstated reasons -- to develop rules for use.

Those rules, and how they are enforced, will be key to many of
the roughly 60 people who filled the room at the Hampton Inn
for Friday's meeting. While conventional farmers argued that the
Bt corn will help make them competitive with corn growers
around the country, organic farmers raised concerns of genetic
drift, the creation of super-resistant bugs, and potential threats
to the health and welfare of people and animals.

"We should not be endangering our food supplies with
dangerous biotech gambles," said Jody Spear of the Sierra Club.

The board considered the applications in two primary areas:
whether the Bt corn would have an adverse effect on the
environment and whether farmers had shown a need to use the
crop.

Genetic drift -- the cross-pollination of a genetically modified
crop with a nonmodified crop -- may occur, said Jemison, a
water quality and soil specialist for the University of Maine
Cooperative Extension in Orono. European markets allow
products to be labeled organic with up to 5 percent genetic
modification.

"If zero is the intended goal, it's really always going to be
difficult," Jemison said.

Pittsfield farmer Tom Cote argued, however, that eliminating use
of some pesticides by growing Bt corn will be a net gain for the
environment.

"I believe Bt crops are a bit better for the environment and the
people who have to handle them,"Cote said.

While acknowledging the risks, the board ultimately decided it
could mitigate the dangers by educating users and encouraging
conventional farmers and organic growers to work together to
help reduce the chance of genetic drift.

"We have to weigh that risk against pretty clearly defined
benefits," said board member Daniel Simonds, a forestry
consultant. "I'm having a hard time seeing the net adverse effect
as being unreasonable."

Board member Lee Humphreys, a market gardener, said there
were too many unknowns about the genetically modified corn,
such as its long-term effect on the soil and in creating resistant
bugs.

"I think it might very well be a short-term solution and farmers
will be forced to use more pesticides in the future," she said.

Humphreys also mentioned 108 letters the board received
opposing use of the corn.

"We represent them as well," she said.

Many of the organic growers who spoke against approving the
corn suggested there was no real need for it. Logan Perkins of
Protect Maine Farmers noted the number of organic dairy
farmers that survive without pesticides or Bt corn.

"If they can do it, why can't everyone else?" Perkins asked.

Using Bt corn will increase harvests an estimated 10 percent,
which will help give farmers an important economic edge, said
board member Richard Stevenson Jr., a commercial applicator
for Modern Pest Services.

"It may not run a farm out of business today, but if they don't
take advantage of these technologies, they may not be there five
or 10 years down the road," Stevenson said.