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2013
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Jessica E Webster
[FARMER ASSURANCE PROVISION] Short Term Benefits vs. Long Term Risks
Farmer Assurance Provision 1
The Farmer Assurance Provision provides short term economic satisfaction to
biotechnology corporations, farmers, and consumers while risking potential long term health and
environmental effects. The provision provides temporary deregulation of genetically modified
(GM) crops until the environmental assessment has been completed (H. R. 933, 2013). Allowing
GM crops to be planted, grown, and harvested has a short term economic gain, which seems to
be the reason for this appropriations rider. The legislation allows biotechnology corporations to
continue to sell their products to farmers. This could allow farmers to save money on labor,
pesticides, and herbicides, while maximizing profit yield; which could lead to a drop in
consumer prices. These short term economic gains are beneficial to the overall economy of the
country. However, the farmer assurance provision could lead to unintended health and
environmental consequences. The potential health effect from the ingestion of GM food has not
been documented well. Environmental changes have already begun to take place in parts of the
country. It only takes one leak, one gene transfer, one plant, or one wind gust to pose a possible
environmental threat.
The driving force of this legislation came from the Supreme Court case Center of Food
Safety vs. Vilsack. The conclusion of the case resulted in the banning of further planting of GM
sugar beet crops because the US Department of Agriculture did not complete an adequate
environmental assessment before approving the use of the GM sugar beet seeds. Multiple
hearings were held regarding the assessment. During the final hearing in September 2010, Judge
Jeffrey S. White banned the future planting of GM sugar beet crops. The USDA requested a
nine month deregulation to prepare for interim measures; however, Judge White denied the
request due to the amount of time that had already passed since the first hearing (CFS V TJV,
2010). Monsanto, the leading biotechnology corporation in the world, worked very closely with
Missouri’s Republican Senator Roy Blunt to draft the political policy (Rogers, 2013). The new
bill was an appropriations rider inserted into the Consolidated and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act, which needed to be passed in order for the country’s budget to pass (H.R.
933, 2013). Submitted anonymously, the legislation was passed without a question asked
(Rogers, 2013).
Farmer Assurance Provision 2
Corporations that manufacture GM seeds hold a high financial stake in the policy making
for GM foods. Corporations like Monsanto, Delagra, and Germany’s Klein Wanzlebener
Saatzucht (KWS) Saat Ag manufacture the modified seed technology and rely on the farmers to
purchase and utilize the seeds. Genetics of high demand crops have undergone manipulation for
multiple reasons over the decades. According to Leighton Jones (1999), the list includes but is
not limited to: manipulating for drought and weather resistance, pest resistance, disease
resistance, higher yields, larger produce, prolonged shelf life, reduction of allergens, altered
physical characteristics and the creation of new species. All of these alterations can be summed
up into one giant reason, economic efficiency.
The Monsanto Corporation became well known in the 1970s with the marketing of
Round Up, an herbicide containing glyphosate, which will allow farmers to spray on the crops to
kill the surrounding weeds without compromising the crop. The company became the leading
corporation in GM technology with the introduction of “Round Up Ready” crops, which allowed
Round Up to be marketable. Crops treated with this are resistant to Round Up. This agricultural
biotechnology allowed farmers to save time and money on weed killers and removers. Monsanto
patents the seed technology and collects royalties when the products are sold. Without the
consumers to drive the farmer’s sales, Monsanto and similar companies would fail due to lack of
demand. In order to insure a hefty profit, farmers must be able to meet the demands of the
population, while simultaneously cutting costs.
Farmers utilize various environmental services to aid in the maturing of their crops
reducing their overall economic input. Conventional crops rely largely on precipitation for
irrigation. Rain will moisten the soil and provide the necessary water for the roots and leaves to
grow. Soil chemistry is just as important as irrigation. The soil provides the nutrients necessary
for the seed to germinate, grow, flower and fruit. The roots gather minerals in the soil to provide
a nutrient transport to the vegetative parts of the plant (Hodson & Bryant, 2012). ). The
downfall of relying on nature is that the weather has become increasingly more unpredictable
with the changing climate. Farming has become a more unpredictable enterprise than usual.
Farmers take a large economic risk by relying on nature’s processes to supply the necessities to
grow their crops. Accounting for bad weather, farmers could supplement by other means.
Farmer Assurance Provision 3
However, these enhancements would lead to a much larger economic input, driving consumer
prices upward. With the ban lifted off of GM crops, farmers will be able to plant a GM crop and
expect a sizable crop yield with variable weather, creating a wider profit margin. The bigger the
profits, the more crops planted the more of a need for herbicides to protect the plants. Protected
plants could lead to higher return of product and farmers are that much closer to consumer
demand.
Farmers have been worried whether there are enough conventional seeds to meet
consumer demand (de Ponti, Rijk & Van Ittersum, 2012). The American population is growing
at an exponential rate; the population increases by one half of a percent annually (Haub &
Kaneda, 2013). A larger population calls for increased food production. Farmers struggle on an
annual basis to meet consumer demands with the use of conventional seeds (de Ponti, et al.,
2012). With demand for certain crops on the rise, high yield and crop assurance is a key factor
when a farmer chooses which seeds to buy. With this in mind, farmers turn to GM seeds to
guarantee a crop to meet increased demand. “Farmers elect to pay more for seeds that will
produce higher yields, require less chemical inputs, reduce labor, and shrink the environmental
footprint of agriculture” (Chassy, 2007). Crops that are modified for pest resistance are an
economic gold mine for farmers. With deregulation of GM crops, prices may potentially
decrease over time. One example of a crop high in demand is sugar. The need for sugar has
been on the rise since the population was educated that high fructose corn syrup is bad for you.
(Dohlman & Haley, 2009).
Though farmers work hard to meet their finances, the farmers who have not met the
demand are compensated through the farm bill. This bill aids farmers in meeting their budget so
production can continue for another year (H.R. 2642, 2013). Farmers do not have the luxury of
regulating the current supply of crops with the current demand. The economic market works by
a balance of supply and demand. When a product is in high demand, suppliers try to achieve,
through various measures, a way to meet this demand and can generally adjust accordingly.
Farmers must anticipate the demand of a crop in order to meet their budget. Conventional
farming is an extremely environmentally dependent practice, from soil chemistry to the
hydrological cycle to the hands that farm. One element of change could cause a drastic
Farmer Assurance Provision 4
difference in crop yield. But, if a farmer were to use a seed that was modified to survive in
drought, deter pests, and guarantee produce then the crop may be able to withstand several
elemental changes and still produce a higher yield than a conventional crop. Monsanto has
manufactured a seed technology that is highly valuable to farmers because it is able to do all of
these things.
The federal government places large subsidies on food and agriculture for the consumers;
which allow citizens to purchase food at a much lower price than what other countries charge for
the crop and crop derivatives (Hossay, 2013). A study was done on the removal of GM soybeans
from the economic system and it was showed that the removal of the GM crop did not affect the
prices of the commodity (Parcell & Kalaitzandonakes, 2004). This was not the case with GM
sugar beets. The sugar shortage from the ban of GM sugar beets in 2011 was estimated by the
USDA to cost consumers 2.97 billion dollars (Reding, 2010). The price of the crop during a GM
ban will depend on the purpose of the crop. Crops like corn and sugar that have multiple uses
will rise in price if the GM crop were to be banned.
The final component of the equation is the consumer. The United States governs as a risk
society, while other governments take on the precautionary principle. The European Union and
Mexico are more skeptical about the risks of GM foods. The American consumer will listen to
multiple claims about genetically modified foods and choose to believe the claim from the
organization they feel is most trustworthy based on their current attitude towards modified foods.
However, the more consumers read about modified foods, the more wary they are about their
food choices (Frewer, Scholderer & Bredahl, 2003). Genetically modified crops can only
survive in the economy if there is a demand for them.
Documentation of the immediate consequences of ingesting the GM crop is nonexistent
due to the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) inadequate method for GM safety testing.
The FDA has deemed genetically modified food as ‘inherently safe’ or GRAS (Generally
Recognized as Safe). The FDA is responsible for the safety regulation of foods to be consumed
by a human or animal. Safety tests are performed on altered foods if it is ‘significantly different’
from its natural counterpart (Kuiper & Kleter, 2001). If one were to look at a genetically
modified ear of corn next to a conventional ear of corn, one would not be able to tell the
Farmer Assurance Provision 5
difference. The composition of the GM crop is analyzed and if it yields similar results to the
composition of the conventional crop, no further testing is done. The only physical difference is
that the GM ear of corn may be slightly bigger than the conventional ear of corn. From this
notion, the FDA rarely does safety tests on GM crops because there is no significant difference
from the conventional crops. When the FDA does perform safety tests on the modified foods, it
is over an observation period of ninety days (FDA, 2007). This can become problematic because
it is not a proper assessment for long term exposure.
Generation Y is the first generation of humans that can be used to study long term effects
of genetically modified foods. Because of this, along with the absence of allocation of funds for
research, evidence is lacking to support harmful effects of genetically altered food. As time
progresses, hopefully more in depth research will be done on the matter of health. GM
technology is still relatively new and there are certainly kinks that still need to be worked out.
One link has already been made between the introduction of GM foods and the increasing
trend in food allergies. The first genetically modified crop was grown in 1987. It was not until
1992 that the FDA ruled genetically modified organisms were “not inherently dangerous”. Two
years later, in 1996, the first genetically modified food was made available to consumers
(Brookes & Barfoot, 2005). Today, many of the products available to consumers contain
unlabeled GMOs. Over the past twenty years, wheat has been altered for pest resistance and
high yield producing the unintended consequence of an increased concentration of gluten (Baker,
Hawkins, Ward, Napier, Shewry & Beale, 2006); The US Center for Disease Control and
Prevention, CDCP, reported an 18% increase of food allergies in children from 1997 to 2007
(CDCP, 2013). Later studies show food allergies on the rise. However, the correlation between
the increase in allergies and the introduction of GM crops are merely speculative. Fear of
genetic modification in foods continues to rise with the possibility of the creation of new
allergens (Lehrer & Bannon, 2005). The rise of new diseases and pests resistant to current
antibiotics from GM crops is low but still exists (Keese, 2008). The possibility of a crop
designed for livestock accidentally being made available to consumers is an alarming concern as
well.
Farmer Assurance Provision 6
The largest consumer of GMOs surprisingly is not humans, though they become the
largest consumer indirectly causing potential health concerns. Genetic mutation is a possible
long term side effect of GMO consumption. Farmers utilize GM feeds on their livestock.
Livestock that ingest modified food that had been altered for a resistance against disease was
most likely altered by an antibiotic, which does not digest readily, but rather the modified gene
stays inside the host and is absorbed into the body of the consumer (Sharma, Damgaard,
Alexander, Dugan, Aalhus, Stanford & McAllister, 2006). Humans are unknowingly ingesting
these modified genes in the meats made available to them. This could cause the introduction of a
new antibiotic when it is not necessary. As a result, current bacterium and diseases could
become resistant to the antibiotic used in the modified crop, creating super-diseases, or diseases
that are unaffected by the presence of antibiotics (Keese 2008).
Studies have been performed on several different animal species on the long term effects
of ingesting GM feeds. The most notable study was performed on a group of pigs and sheep
throughout their lifetime, from birth to slaughter. The animals were fed a diet that consisted of
fifteen percent Roundup Ready Canola. Post-mortem, gastrointestinal cells were analyzed
among others and compared with the cells of animals only fed non GMO feed. Modified DNA
was not found in visceral organs but they were found throughout the intestinal tract (Sharma et
al., 2006). Another study was done on four different groups of rats. One group was fed GM
corn that can be found in foods for human consumption around the world, another group was fed
a modified food for tolerance of the herbicide Roundup, while the third group ingested a feed
that was modified for pest resistance. Each case was compared with the fourth group of rats that
did not ingest GM feeds. The kidney and liver were the most affected organs. These are the
organs that aid in toxicity filtration. The amount of toxicity was dependent on which type of
corn the rat ingested. Other major organs such as the heart and spleen were also affected (de
Vendomois, Roullier, Cellier & Seralini 2009). Physiological changes have been found in
animals from the ingestion of foods with modified genes. Both tests were done in a time span of
less than one year, giving rise to the possibility of increased harm with ingestion over time.
The main ingredient in Round Up is glyphosate, which can be sprayed directly on crops
modified to be Roundup-Ready. The produce received direct contact with the herbicide.
Farmer Assurance Provision 7
Without proper sanitation techniques, the herbicide can easily be ingested by an unsuspecting
individual. Research has shown that glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor. It can lead to a slow
degradation of the internal human systems beginning at the cellular level (Ando & Khanna
2000). Other ingredients in Round Up can pose a harmful health threat when mixed with the
main component glyphosate (Bradberry, Proudfoot, & Vale 2004).
Cross breeding from the seed distribution from wind and pollinating insects has created
super weeds that are drought resistant, pest resistant, and resistant to herbicides. Roundup Ready
alfalfa has passed on mutated resistance traits to naturally occurring alfalfa. This change has
been observed in multiple sites across the country. Plants that cross pollinate with each other to
produce fruit like corn could cause the GM crop to cross pollinate with conventional crops. The
possibility of the modified crop transferring the mutated gene to wild relatives through weed
crop hybridization creating a super-weed has raised concerns (Ando et al., 2000). These super-
weeds, depending on what the GM crop was modified for, could be resistant to roundup.
Along with super-weeds, super-pests cause considerable environmental concern. As
history would unfold, life adapts and morphs when faced with a destructive roadblock.
Adaptation and evolution occur at the rate of an organism’s life cycle. Insects could have
thousands of life cycles in one weeks’ time. With a short life span, the insect has a shorter time
to adapt, thus within years crops altered for pest resistant will no longer be able to perform the
desired task (Ando et al., 2000). The mutations have the possibility of harming the digestive
tracts of the animals that feed off the organism and decrease biodiversity. Crops modified to
deter pests could cause harm to bystander and beneficial insects. Insects such as the ladybugs
and praying mantises are a valuable asset to the garden. Pollinators are necessary for fruit
bearing crops. The crop’s modified gene cannot distinguish between a harmful insect and one
that is to aid the growth of the plant (Ando et al., 2000).
The potential for the spread of GM crops to the natural world could have detrimental
effects on biodiversity. The dispersion into the natural world could label the GM crop as an
invasive species and an agricultural weed (Connor, Glare & Nap 2003). This introduction of the
GM weed could reduce plant biodiversity and cause harm to the animals that feed on those
plants. GM alfalfa has already been caught outside cropland (Ando et al., 2000). GM crops as
Farmer Assurance Provision 8
invasive species can become problematic from the level of difficulty raised from eliminating the
invader. If not removed properly, the nonnative plant will continue to invade and remove
valuable nutrients from the soil in the process.
Genetically modified crops and food are a controversial topic with heavily weighted
economic benefits against potential detrimental health and environmental effects. The addition
of GM crops has given farmers a fighting economic chance against pests of a changing
environment. Biotechnology corporations benefit from the promotion and sale of their
technology, while consumers are able to enjoy a variety of fruits and vegetables year round at a
low premium. The benefits of the deregulation of GM crops are both economic and short term.
Currently, the length of time used to test the safety of a GM crop for human and animal
consumption is too short to yield any long term results. The long term effects of the cultivation
of GM crops have slowly been becoming more prevalent. Correlations between the introduction
of GMOs and the rise in allergies have been sited. Scientists have begun to see changes in
internal organs of long term (90+ days) test subjects. Risks of Round Up and the main
ingredient glyphosate are becoming more apparent as the substance is studied. The potential
ecological devastation from the change in biodiversity with the addition of super-diseases, super-
weeds, and super-pests is alarming and could reduce the population of competitors. GM crops, if
not contained, could become an invasive species and an agricultural weed adding to the declining
biodiversity.
The Farmer Assurance Provision has called for the deregulation of GM crops until the
environmental assessment has been completed. The long term risk being taken by cultivating the
GM crops without the knowledge of the possible health and environmental effects is an epidemic
waiting to happen. However, the short term economic gains are merely for convenience.
Farmers still meet their budget through the farm bill. Consumers may be inconvenienced with
the unavailability of out of season products without GM crops. Biotechnology corporations are
the only ones who would be more than inconvenienced if GM crops were to be banned. For the
sake of the biotechnology corporations, human, animal, and environmental health is being put at
risk through the passing of the Farmer Assurance Provision.
Farmer Assurance Provision 9
References
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Farmer Assurance Provision 10
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Farmer Assurance Provision 11
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