2,4-D-tolerant trait would lead to more resistance, biotech critic says

By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI

Capital Press

The USDA wants to deregulate corn tolerant of the herbicide 2,4-D, which was developed by Dow AgroSciences to combat weeds resistant to glyphosate herbicides.

The agency's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has released a draft environmental analysis that recommends the crop be fully commercialized without restriction, which biotech critics fear will increase overall herbicide usage.

Dow's achieved 2,4-D tolerance in corn by incorporating a gene from Sphingobium herbicidovorans, a soil bacteria that has evolved to use certain herbicides to promote its growth, according to the company's petition for deregulation.

The idea is to "provide growers with greater flexibility in selection of herbicides," since broadleaf weeds that have grown resistant to the ubiquitous glyphosate would still be eliminated by 2,4-D, the petition said.

"Those resistance problems are going to get worse unless something is done to remedy that," said Garry Hamlin, spokesman for Dow AgroSciences.

Though USDA's decision is not yet final, its draft assessment found that the crop is unlikely to pose a plant pest risk and would have minimal or non-existent effects on public health or the environment.

However, biotech critics don't believe the trait's commercialization would be a real solution to glyphosate resistance in crops.

"It's going to lead to another round of herbicide resistance," said Bill Freese, science policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety non-profit group.

Freese also said he's worried about residues from 2,4-D entering the food and water supplies or harming farmworkers, as the chemical has been linked to cancer, hormone disruptions and Parkinson's disease.

According to Dow, the chemical has been used safely in the U.S. for six decades and has evoked little concern among regulatory agencies about adverse health effects.

When asked about the potential negative effects of over-the-top application of 2,4-D, Hamlin said that pesticide residues would still need to be below levels required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

"If you don't meet those standards, you don't get authorized," Hamlin said.

APHIS has also recently made decisions and recommendations pertaining to other genetically engineered crops:

* The agency has fully deregulated a trait developed by Monsanto that reduces levels of undesirable fats and increases levels of desirable fats in soybeans.

Monsanto expects the crop to provide a health benefit to consumers while stoking demand for soybeans produced in the U.S. The company expects to conduct on-farm trials and seed production domestically as it awaits foreign export approvals.

* Another soybean trait developed by Monsanto has been recommended for deregulation as part of a draft environmental assessment by the USDA.

The cultivar contains an "omega-3 fatty acid" that "may be involved in promoting heart health" but is normally not found in the crop, the agency said.

Though the fatty acid is found in fish oils, the soybean oil is more stable and thus isn't as susceptible to "fishy or rancid odors and taste," the agency said.