June 22, 2006

Controversy surrounds bid to use Monsanto's GM corn for feed

The Centre for Research in Biosafety is urging the Food Standards Australia/New Zealand board to ban Monsanto's High-Lysine Corn LY038.

Monsanto's GM corn is currently under consideration for use in animal feeds in New Zealand. However, the health community fears the corn may find its way into the human food chain as well.

Lysine in itself is not dangerous but a lysine-sugar combination may result in complications such as diabete, kidney damage and cancer. Since many recipes involving corn also includes sugar, health experts fear the new GM corn would have devastating effects on human health.

As if to underscore the health community's worst fears, Monsanto has applied for approval to use the corn for human consumption as well, despite saying its GM corn would only be used for animal feed.

Monsanto is making a gradual retreat from GM crops due to the strong opposition it faced in Europe.

Future strains of engineered plants from Monsanto may not come from gene splicing but from simple traditional breeding, judging by Monsanto's CEO Hugh Grant's enthusiasm for the method.

Grant said earlier this month the trend that has been present last year and in the next few years would be that of breeding.

Its Vistive soy, for example, was not derived through manipulation of genetics but through selective breeding aided by advanced technology, the company said. 

Monsanto is striving to breed soy that have oils that can replace trans fat or are low in trans fat.

Monsanto intends to increase crops developed with advanced breeding techniques to increase from the current 1 percent to 5 or 6 percent by 2006.