August 24, 2000
		University of Iowa Study Confirms: Bt Corn Can Kill Monarch Butterflies A new study has been released that links genetically engineered corn, known as Bt corn, with the death of monarch butterfly caterpillars, echoing the findings of a Cornell laboratory study conducted last year. Last year's study concluded that monarch butterfly larvae died when fed Bt corn pollen. The biotech industry immediately tried to discredit the earlier report, saying that the laboratory did not adequately simulate what would occur in the field. The new study, however, was conducted by Iowa State University researchers outside with potted milkweed plants placed in and around Bt corn fields, and showed that pollen from the genetically engineered plant was seven times more likely to kill monarchs than convention corn pollen. Milkweed grows near corn, and it is a chief source of nutrition for the monarch butterfly. Because of genetic drift, monarchs are at greatest risk of fatal exposure if they are within ten meters of Bt fields. "This is telling us that with naturally deposited pollen there's a good chance you'll get some mortality," said Dr. John Obrycki, who conducted the study with Laura Hansen. The study was published last Saturday in the journal Oecologia. Bt is an abbreviation for bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soil bacterium that acts as a pesticide; farmers have been using Bt for many years, and it is a mainstay of organic growers, who use it to repel the European corn borer, bollworms and other insects that are destructive to certain plants. With genetically engineered corn, however, the bacterium has been spliced directly into the seed. As in all genetically engineered crops, there have been no independent studies which show its long-term effects on health or the environment. Additionally, the indiscriminate use of Bt has presented organic farmers with the very real concern that the natural bacterium they once were able to use will be rendered useless as insects evolve and develop a resistance to it. Rebecca Goldburg, a scientist with the Environmental Defense Fund and co-author of a landmark National Academy of Sciences report on biotech crops, said that the Iowa State research indicates that farmers should be required to plant 40-foot-wide buffer zones around Bt corn fields. As it stands, the Environmental Protection Agency requests but does not require that 20 percent of a Bt corn field's acreage be planted with conventional corn. "This study should dispel any doubts about whether or not the effect observed in the Cornell study is a real one in the field," said Dr. Goldburg. "The Environmental Protection Agency should take some steps to ensure that butterflies in this coming planting season are protected." Lisa Dry, spokesperson for the Biotechnology Industry Organization, said that the study's findings were based on misleading trials and that, "We're confident that Bt has minimal, if any, impact." Meanwhile, environmental, consumer and health advocates are continuing to demand tighter restrictions on biotech crops. Many are asking for a full scale moratorium until long-term effects can be determined. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department, 15.6 million acres of U.S. soil has been planted with biotech corn. The Food and Drug Administration has announced that the registrations that allow the widespread planting of Bt corn would be extended until September 2001. Incidentally, the corn is produced by Novartis AG., a Swiss pharmaceutical and biotech giant.