StarLink meets with state AGs 

Ken Thomas / AP 30nov00

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Representatives of five state attorneys general met Wednesday with the company that makes StarLink corn, hoping to solidify a deal to compensate farmers and grain elevators hurt when the genetically modified variety slipped into the food supply. The representatives reprised talks with Aventis CropScience that began Tuesday in St. Paul, Minn., after gaining assurances that a deadline for farmers to ask for compensation for problems incurred in marketing the biotech corn would be extended past the original Dec. 1 deadline. "The state attorneys general continued to push Aventis for assurances to protect the interests of farmers, elevators and others affected by the StarLink corn situation," said Bob Brammer, spokesman for Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. Brammer declined to discuss specifics, but said the negotiations with Aventis representatives Randall A. Jones and James W. Gray centered on the request of 16 attorneys general that the company expedite compensation to farmers and elevators. The attorneys general are seeking: …A faster claims-handling process for farmers and elevators with an easily accessible handling system made available on the Internet. …Increased transportation and storage capabilities and additional staff members to answer questions. …More steps to accept responsibility for economic losses. Representatives from Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Nebraska joined in the four-hour meeting Wednesday, while Kentucky participated through a teleconference call. Illinois participated in Tuesday's meeting. StarLink corn was discovered in taco shells earlier this year despite the Environmental Protection Agency's decision not to approve it for human consumption because of concerns that it might trigger allergic reactions. Aventis has pulled the corn from the market and asked the EPA to temporarily approve its use in food, which would allow any remaining corn to clear the marketplace without additional recalls. There have been no confirmed cases of health problems caused by StarLink, but officials are investigating 10 complaints of allergic reactions. StarLink, developed to be resistant to the European corn borer, was grown on only about 1 percent of the nation's corn acres this year. The corn has caused farmers to worry about its impact on exports, including the lucrative markets in Japan and Europe. Aventis has agreed to pay farmers 25 cents a bushel over the normal price for StarLink and any corn grown nearby as a buffer against cross-pollination. In exchange, the farmers are to make sure it is not sold for human consumption. In a four-page letter Nov. 17, Aventis CropScience vice president John Wichtrich told the attorneys general his company would work "to seek appropriate, timely and equitable solutions to all StarLink issues." "Aventis regrets the decision to allow the marketing of StarLink for nonfood uses in the absence of a food tolerance," Wichtrich wrote. Specifically, Aventis will "take every reasonable and responsible action to ensure that the StarLink issues is resolved as quickly as possible," cooperate with farmers and grain elevators "equitably and fairly," provide information on its Web site and "share lessons learned" with the industry, he wrote. Brammer said the attorneys general would hold a teleconference Thursday. Biotech issues were among the leading topics of discussion at this week's annual meeting of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation in Des Moines. Delegates drafted a resolution Tuesday urging the USDA, the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration to "closely coordinate their approval processes for genetically enhanced seeds." The resolution, expected to be discussed on Wednesday, supports "labeling requirements based on sound science and overseen by one agency." It also called seed approved for restricted use or controlled distribution to be labeled to prevent mixing with non-restricted commodities. Some farmers, however, thought the issue had been blown out of proportion. "Most everything that you eat has been genetically altered … whether it's your apples or your oranges," said Judy Wallin, who farms 400 acres of corn, soybeans and alfalfa with her husband Douglas in Northwood. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who attended the Farm Bureau meeting to accept an award, said Aventis needs to properly compensate farmers hurt by the recall. "Aventis owes not only an apology to the American farmer and a great share of this is to the Iowa farmer," Grassley said. "But also there has been harm done not only to the farmers who use StarLink who were not warned about keeping it segregated, but also to all farmers because our exports have been hurt." ………

Questions?, Comments?, Problems?