The Catskill Chronicle

By Mort Malkin

Monsanto is on a tear trying to genetically engineer all the seeds and foods of the world. So far, they are well on the way, but only in the US with several crops – cotton, corn, canola, soy, alfalfa, papaya, and sugar beets – over 80 to 90% of total production. They’ve also started with yellow squash, zucchini, potatoes, and the devil knows what else. Almost all animal feed in the US is genetically engineered.

Other countries are not such avid advocates of bio-engineering. Most other nations, if they allow the GM (genetically modified) foods at all, insist they are so labeled.

Most of the crops that are genetically engineered are designed to resist liberal applications of herbicide, usually Roundup. For any super weeds that develop, the farmer can apply a super dose of herbicide, for any super insects a supplementary application of pesticide. [Hasn’t anyone thought of regular old nuthatches or woodpeckers?]

Monsanto’s market strategy is to sell the seeds and, when the plants appear, the herbicide liberally applied. So, what’s so terrible about using herbicides and pesticides? We’ve been living with them for 50 years. What’s so bad about making a grain or vegetable genetically resistant to said chemicals that kill weeds and insects? And what’s so wicked about Monsanto making obscene profits by selling both the seeds and the requisite spray in the land of free enterprise (capitalism)? It has been part of our heritage since the beginning of the 17th century with the Dutch East India Company. A little respect for tradition, please.

The Gadfly Revelry & Research Gang (GRRG) looked into Monsanto’s good work in protecting the public. They found few and limited human safety studies, no long term work, less-than-thorough experimental design, and their conclusions that adverse results were statistically insignificant. GRRG, naturally generous, was understanding of Monsanto’s wish not to confuse the poor scientists of the FDA. But what if the process of gene insertion, itself, was inherently dangerous? Well, it turns out that the process is not only risky but practically guaranteed to cause dysfunction and disease in the host and the animals who dine on the GE plant.

Let’s start at the beginning of the genetic engineering process. Once an advantageous gene is identified and isolated, it must be inserted into the host’s DNA. One method is to attach the gene to a bacterium or virus that has an affinity for the host DNA. Another way – more American – is to use a 22 caliber gene gun. Where on the incredible complex DNA molecule the inserted gene settles is hit or miss, if it takes at all. The second problem is that several other genes of the DNA are affected by the insertion of the foreign gene, most likely adversely. These affected genes of the host may slow down the brain or speed up the heart or turn cells of the intestine crazy. They’ve even tried to make GM yeast in an attempt to increase the alcohol content of beer, but incidentally increased the concentration of a naturally occurring toxin 50-fold. Big Biotech doesn’t have the sense not to hoodwink beer drinkers.

As if the inexactitude of where the foreign gene is inserted and the reaction of other genes of the DNA of the host were not enough, the genetic engineers add a “promoter” to make sure the transgene doesn’t fall asleep on the job. The promoter, unfortunately, also turns on the molecular activity of other genes of the DNA, promoting allergies, accelerating growth of tissue cells, and creating toxic reactions. Yet another unintended effect is the reaction of sequences of plant DNA called transposons. Transposons are generally inactive, except under stress. With tissue culture and the addition of promoters, transposons awaken and produce mutations widely. The entire DNA molecule becomes a born again anarchist.

All the fancy microbiology and biochemistry sounds pretty convincing, but where are the reports of actual harm to animals and people? Although unreported by the mainstream (corporate) media, there are many studies and observational reports of strange reactions and harm to animals and people from all over the world. In the UK, US, Germany, India, and Philippines, a variety of animals were tested (mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, pigs, and chickens) for GMO potatoes, soy, and corn. The reactions in different tissues (intestines, liver, kidney, skin, blood, brain, testicles, ovaries, varied from abnormal to terrible, even death among unlucky ones. Reports of reactions among people who ate or breathed the GMO vegetable was equally serious.

Both domestic and wild animals – geese, squirrels, raccoons, pigs, cows, and sheep – shun GMO crops growing in fields. Most of the animals noted might be a little fussy, but not pigs. One of the GRR Gang has gotten a farmer to offer his goats some of the GMO corn. We’ll report on the results.

The biogenetic corporations response to some of the results of the experiments was shameless. In a well designed study, rats that were fed GMO corn, developed serious allergies, toxicity of different tissues, anemia, and immune depression. Monsanto admitted that the results were statistically significant, but only by chance and without pathological significance. Stephen Colbert couldn’t have done better.

The scientist largely responsible for public awareness of the dangers of genetically engineering is Arpad Pusztai. Until 1998, he was the world’s leading authority on lectins, which occur naturally in many plants and whose function is to identify certain proteins and control the levels of protein in the blood. [It’s actually a little more complicated, but that will suffice for now.] Pusztai was originally an advocate for bio-engineering, but, in his research he and his team found that the process of genetic engineering was damaging many cells of the body in rats, including the lining cells of the intestines. The wild and  disorganized growth of these cells, especially their nuclei, suggested the early development of cancer. Pusztai, with the assent of the Institute, was interviewed on TV for less than three minutes and gave only the broad outlines of his recent studies, advising that more research was needed. Within two days, several sources reported that phone calls went from Monsanto to the White House and then from Bill Clinton directly to Tony Blair, followed by a final call to Philip James, the Director of the Rowett Institute. Arpad Pusztai was fired the next day and silenced by the threat of a lawsuit. His paper detailing the complete study was subsequently published in The Lancet, the British Surgical Journal despite threats to have its editor replaced. Eventually, Pusztai was called by Parliament to testify, and the Institute had to allow him to speak. What he had to say was widely reported in the media throughout Europe. The biotech multinational corporations did their best to discredit Dr Pusztai, but he was sharp, thorough, and insightful that the weird protein synthesis they were finding came from the genetic engineers playing ringalievio on the double helix of the DNA molecule. The process of inserting a strange gene was inherently dicey, and sure to change other genes of the host DNA in wanton ways.

So, why is Gadfly so worried about tampering with our food when we are none the worse for wear from the epidemic of fast food? Why? Because Monsanto has just outdone itself in chutzpah. Big Biotech has just shamelessly asked the FDA to allow them to label GM vegetables as “natural.” It will not be enough for us to petition the government to say “No, GMOs are artificial, never seen before by farmers or shepherds.” Congress and the White House are already beholden to Monsanto. We must appeal to the food processors, distributors and retailers. A good strategy is for all of us is to call the 8oo phone number on the jar or package and ask whether their corn, canola, or soy is genetically modified. If it is, tell the polite person that you will only buy their product if it is non-GMO, no matter what the FDA says. If enough people call, they may follow the lead of  Amy’s Kitchen, Barbara’s, Earth Balance, RW Knudsen, Seven Stars Farm, Silk (soy milk and other drinks), Weetabix, Westsoy, and dozens more who are part of the Non-GMO Project.

If we don’t stop Monsanto now, they are planning to add a GMO animal to their inventory – AquaBounty Salmon. An animal species! And you thought Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was science fiction.