The US government Tuesday renewed its approval of genetically modified corn, saying it found no evidence of health or environmental risks, but the decision was immediately denounced by critics of bioengineered foods.
The Environmental Protection Agency decided that corn modified with Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) -- which produces a protein toxic to certain insects -- can be used for another seven years before another review.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
"Bt corn has been evaluated thoroughly by EPA, and we are confident that it does not pose risks to human health or to the environment," said Stephen Johnson, assistant EPA administrator.
Environmental groups that had asked the EPA to delay approval of the crops pending further testing immediately criticized the decision.
"I think the EPA has placed the interest of a few biotech companies over the interests of the environment and consumers' health," said Matt Rand, spokesman for the Genetically Engineered Food Alert coalition.
Rand said the EPA failed to conduct adequate testing on potential allergic reactions to Bt corn, and that coalition members would now conduct their own studies.
"The EPA has once again missed the boat, and we are now going to have to take matters into our own hands" on testing, he said.
Critics of the bioengineered corn also said it may harm Monarch butterflies, but the EPA said scientists determined after a two-year study "that Bt corn does not impact Monarch butterfly populations."
Rand said however that this study too was inadequate and that one of the varieties of Bt corn, which was refused renewal, was shown to harm the Monarch.
The companies holding registrations for Bt corn are Monsanto, Syngenta, Pioneer/DuPont and Mycogen/Dow, the EPA said.
Another type of genetically engineered corn, StarLink, was withdrawn earlier this year after the EPA refused to approve it for human consumption.
Although StarLink had been approved for animal feed and industrial use, its maker, Aventis CropScience, had said it could not guarantee that trace elements of the corn would be kept out of the human food chain.
The Bt corn varieties approved for renewed use incorporate genetic material from a naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces a protein toxic to certain insects, which has been used for many years to control insect pests.
Bioengineered corn, which has been used for the past five years in the US, represents about 19 percent of US acreage devoted to corn, according to government figures.
The EPA said companies marketing Bt corn seed "will be required to monitor for the development of insect resistance, provide annual reports on the efficacy of resistance management plans, and implement remedial action plans in the event that resistance is detected among pest populations."
Steve Rosenbloom, marketing director for Monsanto's corn genetics, said Bt corn is beneficial for the growers and the environment because it requires less use of pesticides.
"Crops developed through biotechnology such as corn and cotton are dramatically reducing the pesticides sprayed on crops," he said. "If America's corn and cotton farmers are not spraying millions of pounds of synthetic chemicals, there are less of those chemicals in the environment."
Seventy percent of middle and elementary schools now conduct English classes entirely in English, the Ministry of Education said, as it encourages schools nationwide to adopt this practice Minister of Education (MOE) Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) is scheduled to present a report on the government’s bilingual education policy to the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee today. The report would outline strategies aimed at expanding access to education, reducing regional disparities and improving talent cultivation. Implementation of bilingual education policies has varied across local governments, occasionally drawing public criticism. For example, some schools have required teachers of non-English subjects to pass English proficiency
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
PERSONAL DATA: The implicated KMT members allegedly compiled their petitions by copying names from party lists without the consent of the people concerned Judicial authorities searched six locations yesterday and questioned six people, including one elderly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member and five KMT Youth League associates, about alleged signature forgery and fraud relating to their recall efforts against two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. After launching a probe into alleged signature forgery and related fraud in the KMT’s recall effort, prosecutors received a number of complaints, including about one petition that had 1,748 signatures of voters whose family members said they had already passed away, and also voters who said they did not approve the use of their name, Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor
RSS