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绗竴绡?/p>
European
Union
environmental
officials
have
determined
that
two
kinds
of
genetically
modified
corn
could
harm
butterflies,
affect
food
chains
and
disturb
life
in
rivers
and streams, and they have proposed a ban on the sale of the seeds, which are made
by DuPont Pioneer, Dow Agrosciences and Syngenta. The preliminary decisions are
circulating
within
the
European
Commission,
which
has
the
final
say.
Some
officials
there are skeptical of a ban that would upset the powerful biotechnology industry
and
could
exacerbate
tensions
with
important
trading
partners
like
the
United
States.
The seeds are not available on the European market for cultivation.
In the decisions, the environment commissioner, Stavros Dimas, contends that the
genetically modified corn, or maize could affect certain butterfly species,
specifically
the
monarch,
and
other
beneficial
insects.
For
instance,
research
this
year indicates that
larvae
of the monarch butterfly exposed to the genetically
modified
corn
''behave
differently
than
other
larvae.''
In
the
decision
concerning
the corn seeds produced by Dow and Pioneer, Mr. Dimas calls ''potential damage on
the environment irreversible.'' In the decision on Syngenta's corn, he says that
''the
level
of
risk
generated
by
the
cultivation
of
this
product
for
the
environment
is unacceptable.''
A
decision
by
the
European
Union
to
bar
cultivation
of
the
genetically
modified
crops
would
be
the
first
of
its
kind
in
the
trade
bloc,
and
would
intensify
the
continuing
battle
over
genetically
modified
corn.
Banning
the
applications
for
corn
crops
also
would
mark
a
bold
new
step
for
European
environmental
authorities,
who
are
already
aggressively pursuing regulations on emissions from cars and aircraft, setting it
at odds with the United States and angering industries.
''These products have been grown in the U.S. and other countries
for years,'' said
Stephen Norton, a spokesman for the United States trade representative. ''We are
not aware of any other case when a product has been rejected after having been
reviewed and determined safe'' by European food safety authorities, he said.
Barbara
Helfferich,
a
spokeswoman
for
Mr.
Dimas,
declined
to
comment
on
the
specifics
of the procedure because commissioners had not yet made a final decision. But she
said that the European Union was within its rights to make decisions based on the
''precautionary principle'' even when scientists had found no definitive evidence
proving products can cause harm. She said that the decisions by Mr. Dimas could go
before the commission within a few weeks, but she said that no date had been set.
In the decisions, Mr. Dimas cited recent research showing that consumption of
genetically modified ''corn byproducts reduced growth and increased mortality of