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r.e. "Plant Pesticides"
Chuck Benbrook wrote:
< Several scientists and others who generally view transgenic plants
<as a step toward a better future have criticized the EPA's choice of words
<in naming Bt-transgenics and herbicide tolerant varieties "plant
<pesticides." Their concern is a real one; that the public's willingness
<to accept the products of genetic engineering may be lessened by
<association with something the public views negatively -- i.e.,
pesticides.
Since the majority of American farmers use pesticides, I would think the
name "plant pesticide" would be viewed as a major marketing plus. I mean,
you get the plant plus pest control all in one package. Two inputs for the
price of one. I don't think Madison Avenue could have come up with a better
basis for an advertising campaign. Pesticide may be a negative for you,
chuck, but I think it is still a plus for mainstream ag.
<Bt-transgenic varieties are accurately labelled "plant-pesticides",
<the Bt toxin is expressed throughout the plants tissue.
Again, it sounds more like an advertising gimmic to me. All plants have
some degree of resistance to pests. These BT plants just have one extra set
of genes, and it confers resistance to only a very limited range of pests.
"Plant pesticide" makes these stupid plants sound more special than they
really are. They are just transgenic plants. And why should it matter that
the gene helps in pest control? A transgenic plant is a transgenic plant,
whether the genetic tinkering is for nutritional, pharmaceutical or pest
control purposes. I think the EPA terminology just serves to legitimize the
plants as government-approved, and lays the basic building blocks for
bureaucracy building. Next step will be a DEPARTMENT or OFFICE OF PLANT
PESTICIDES within EPA to soak up tax dollars and study the situation to
death and issue new regulations to keep scientists diverted from productive
activities that could advance sustainable agriculture.
<In the case of herbicide tolerant varieties, the name does not fit. It
<would be more accurate to name a herbicide tolerant variety as a
<"pesticide-dependent variety."
Sorry to take exception to you, Chuck, but these plants are PESTICIDE
TOLERANT. They are not dependent on herbicides for good growth, to the best
of my knowledge. The quality of resisting a specific pesticide or class of
pesticides is nothing unusual in nature. This is why different herbicide
products are used against grasses and broadleaf weeds. For example, grasses
tend to resist chemicals (e.g. 2,4-D) killing broadleaf plants.
Joel Grossman
Independent writer