WNT: Tainted Corn Contaminating Iowa Farms

ByABC News
December 15, 2000, 8:08 PM

P R A I R I E  C I T Y, Iowa, Nov. 28 -- Environmental activists from Greenpeace urged the government to not approve a genetically altered corn called StarLink for human consumption, despite industry claims that it causes no risk to consumers.

In many cases, the amount of StarLink farmers are planting is fairly small, but in some cases, its a question of a tiny amount contaminating a larger amount of acceptable corn. In Iowa, Starlink corn represented 1 percent of the total crop, but it has tainted 50 percent of the harvest.

Iowas harvest was almost complete when farmers like Gene Turner discovered StarLink had contaminated other corn they had planted.

We thought these buffer strips would be enough to separate the different corns, says Turner.

Even though Turner planted StarLink 200 feet away from his regular corn, it still contaminated his entire crop. I think the whole system failed, he says, because I dont think anybody was ready for this.

StarLink was engineered by Aventis CropSicence to be toxic to insects to save farmers from spending money on insecticides. It was approved for animal feed, but not human consumption, because of concerns it might cause allergic reactions.

Don Karwal didnt plant any StarLink, but pollen from a neighbors field contaminated part of his crop. He is left with 5,000 bushels of corn he cant sell. Well, I dont know if its a catastrophe, says Karwal, but its getting there.

John Klindt, Karwals neighbor who planted the StarLink, says his entire crop was contaminated, even though it all looks the same. Klindt says Aventis never warned him to be careful when he planted StarLink.

The restrictions, he explains, they didnt say very much on that. No one told him that his corn might contaminate Karwals crop.

Half of Iowas Crop Spoiled

But it got worse. Farmers who didnt know their crop was contaminated sold it to grain elevators, where it was mixed with non-StarLink corn. Now officials believe half of Iowas crop is contaminated and food processors wont buy it.