NY Greens and NYPIRG released a new report "Raising Risk" last Thursday in Syracuse, in front of the State Office Building. The report revealed nearly 29,000 field tests in the US and 209 in New York, and addresses the hazards these tests create for and the natural world. Currently 65% of testing is considered "confidential business information," which means that corporations and universities can refuse to disclose critical information regarding field experiments.
"Our environment is being used as a laboratory for widespread experimentation on genetically engineered organisms with profound risks that, once released, can never be recalled," said Laura Haight, senior environmental associate for NYPIRG. "Until proper safeguards are in place, this unchecked experiment should stop."
In New York, two GMO moratorium bills are sitting in the Senate and Assembly Agriculture committees. We need to pressure our elected representatives to allow NY Senate Bill S 3016, sponsored by Senator LaValle, and NY Assembly Bill A 5741, to be sent to the full Senate and Assembly for public debate and discussion. An additional assembly bill, A 6778, sponsored by Assemblyman DiNapoli would require that genetically modified foods be labeled.
Two press organizations showed up, including Channel 5 TV from Syracuse and Chris Sturr from the WEOS program "Uninvited Guests" hosted by Lyn Gerry. The TV crew gave us a few minutes and Chris recorded the entire press conference, about 1/2 hour, which was broadcast the next Sunday and will be available here.
Speakers included me (Tony Del Plato) as host/moderator, Theresa Cassiack(NYPIRG), Frieda Jacques (unofficial rep of Onondaga Nation), Dr. Jennifer Daniels, physician, Green Party Mayoral Candidate of Syracuse, Anne Marie Mayer (Phd candidate in nutrition at CU), Lou Johns (organic farmer 20 yrs). Chris asked us questions after the initial presentations. Cassiack, Dr. Daniels, Johns and I answered questions from Chris (WEOS). Howie Hawkins and other Greens provided people and logistical support. About 5 people came from our Ithaca group.
The conclusions of the PIRG report included lax regulation of gmo's by USDA which failed to test whether damage has been done; rubber stamp approval of permits to grow ge foods by USDA; and generally that ge products have not been properly tested for human health and environmental impact, including social and ethical issues.
The recommendations include the consumer right to know and support for a moratorium on the field testing and commercialization of ge foods and crops until:
1. Independent safety testing demonstrates gmo's have no harmful effects on human health and the environment.
2. The public's right to know about field tests is improved and any commercialized products are labeled
3. The biotechnology corporations that manufacture genetically engineered foods and crops are held liable and responsible for any harm.
More than 60% of all field tests conducted in the last year now contain secret genes classified as "Confidential Business Information," which means that the public has no access to information about experiments being conducted in their communities.
A goal of the field tests is to obtain information about potential ecological risks associated with genetically engineered organisms. However, independent reviews of the data collected by the Department of Agriculture demonstrate that very little data has been collected. As a result, despite the large number of field experiments that have occurred, fundamental questions about their impact remain unanswered, including long-term impacts on the soil and nontarget species.
In New York, activists called on the State Legislature to advance a bill setting a five-year statewide moratorium on the commercial planting and growing of genetically-modified crops. Senate bill 3016, sponsored by Senator Kenneth LaValle, and Assembly bill 5741, sponsored by Assembly member Jack McEneny, is currently stalled in the Agriculture Committee in each house.
Frieda Jacques, a citizen of the Onondaga Nation, representing herself, said "Breaking the code of DNA in no way involves the understanding of how these building blocks of life interact with each other. I fear for all life on Mother Earth when man begins to think he can act as the Creator."
"New York's farmers, consumers, and the environment are at risk from the rush to plant untested crops here," said Tony Del Plato, from the Ithaca- Area Safe Food Campaign/Organic Consumers Association. "That's why we need to put a halt on this unsafe process. A five-year moratorium would give researchers and policy makers time to evaluate the health and safety impacts of planting genetically engineered crops."
Download the full report from http://www.gefoodalert.org/.
1.2 CONTACT: Richard Caplan, 202-546-9470
Laura Haight, 518-436-0876, ext. 258
Tony Del Plato, 607-257 2520
