Posted on 4-11-2002

Companies Suppress Research On GE Crops

Sierra Club has asked Pioneer Hi-Bred (a Dupont company) and Dow
Agrosciences (a division of Dow Chemical) to reverse their recent decision
to withhold seeds and genetic material to an Ohio State researcher whose
research findings indicated that their products could be harmful to the
environment. "It's outrageous that these companies claim that their
products are thoroughly tested and good for the environment but throttle
research when the results go counter to their PR message," said Laurel
Hopwood, Chair of Sierra Club's Genetic Engineering Committee.

Dr. Allison Snow's research was originally funded by the two companies and
the USDA. The Ohio State researcher showed that the genes which had been
genetically engineered into sunflowers could persist in the wild and give
rise to "superweeds." She wanted to continue her research without company
funding but the companies -- which control the patented seed -- will not
allow her. Details were released to the broader scientific community
earlier this month by an article in the prestigious journal Nature. "If
patent protections are used to stop scientific study, new legislation to
restrict such patent rights should be urgently considered," according to
the Sierra Club letter, which was sent also to several law makers including
Rep. Kucinich of Ohio who has sponsored "right to know" legislation to
require labeling of genetically engineered food, and to Sen. Harkin, Chair
of the Senate Agriculture Committee.

Patent protection for genes, the blueprints for life, have only been
granted since 1980. Those critical of the practice, including Sierra Club,
say that allowing patents on the molecular machinery of life is turning
important aspects of the natural world into the private property of a few.