U.S. growers, Greenpeace at odds over GM corn-butterfly study

CHICAGO (Reuters) -- Greenpeace and a grouping of U.S. corn growers took opposing sides Tuesday as they reacted to a study that found pollen from genetically modified corn could be deadly to Monarch butterflies.

The environmental group said the findings underscored its campaign for further testing of genetically-modified (GM) crops to ensure they are safe for humans and the environment.

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The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) rejected the study's call for more evaluation before such crops are planted extensively, saying the "findings are nothing new".

"It puts responsibility on food companies which continue to use GM corn and say its safe," Greenpeace genetic engineering specialist Charles Margulis told Reuters.

"We have got millions of acres of these crops out there without having done any studies to ensure their safety. It's an approach that puts end users and the environment at risk."

Iowa State University researchers said Monarch butterfly caterpillars were seven times more likely to die when they ate milkweed plants carrying pollen from Bt corn, which contain a pest-fighting gene, compared with conventional varieties.

Bt is short for bacillus thuringiensis, a naturally occurring soil bacterium that acts as a pesticide. The gene has been spliced into millions acres of U.S. corn and cotton plants to repel the European corn borer, bollworms and other pests.

The researchers, John Obrycki and Laura Hansen, placed potted milkweed plants in and around Bt cornfields to stimulate naturally occurring conditions.

The study analyzed the impact on larvae from two types of Bt corn developed by Novartis AG and sold under the brand names NatureGard and Attribute.

Novartis has defended the safety of its Bt corn.

One year ago, Cornell scientists reported Monarch larvae died when fed relatively large amounts of Bt corn pollen in the laboratory. However, University of Illinois scientists said in June they found no ill effects on black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars who ate pollen from a variety of Bt corn developed by Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a unit of DuPont Co

"The scientific findings are nothing new," said NCGA chairman Roger Pine. "The ecological effects are not unexpected and are in line with other studies that have been conducted."

He said the type of Bt corn used in the study was not widely planted and was known to leave a high level of pesticide in its pollen. "Bt technology is not nearly as detrimental to butterflies and other nontarget species as some alternative technologies used to control insect pests," he said.

He said the NCGA supports continued evaluation of all agricultural technologies but "we won't stop dead in our tracks when a single study draws faulty conclusions from unrelated scientific findings".

Greenpeace's Margulis refuted the NCGA claim that the variety of Bt corn used in the study was not widely used.

"Food companies should stop using GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients and the government and the Environmental Protection Agency should stop bending over backward to the industry and start protecting the environment and end users," he added.

He said such studies were going to raise concerns among consumers and that this would lead to a decline in the market for products with genetically-modified organisms.

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