79 



What is at stake besides the bottom lines of companies and farmers? 



In a word, safety. The safety of the U.S. food system and the safety of the food 

 systems of those nations who depend on U.S. agriculture are at stake. 



The fact that commodity crops are often produced in monocrop cultures or in two- 

 crop rotations exposes these crops to increased environmental pressure from weeds, 

 insects and disease. For example, each year, more and more soybeans are affected 

 by sudden death syndrome (SDS), an obscure disease which destroys an otherwise 

 healthy crop virtually overnight. Unless researchers can find varieties that are re- 

 sistant to SDS, American consumers could find themselves paying more for vegeta- 

 ble oil and the myriad of other products made from soybeans in coming years. 



That research may require going back to past varieties. It could also require the 

 use of emerging technology to genetically alter a current or past variety. Either 

 way, a large genetic pool is crucial for solving the problems of modern agriculture. 



The arguments for preserving genetic diversity and ensuring the free-flow of 

 germplasm are just as salient for commodity crops as they are for the medicinal 

 plants of the Amazon Rain Forest. Because commodity crops provide everyday food- 

 stuffs for Americans and others around the world, the effects from the loss of diver- 

 sity in these crops are more imminent. 



S. 1406 has the potential to drastically limit the amount of plant germplasm 

 available to plant breeders and molecular biologists in both the public and private 

 sectors. Through the extension of patentlike certificates issued for what may be only 

 cosmetic differences, a company could lock up valuable genes for 20 or 25 years — far 

 longer than other items of intellectual property and far too many years for an item 

 as necessary as food. Through its ambiguous language regarding essentially derived 

 seed, S. 1406 also creates the opportunity for multimillion dollar lawsuits which 

 could halt the flow of germplasm: Companies will inevitably sue one another as 

 they are already inclined to do. 



How can there be a germplasm crisis when there are millions of plants? 



There are millions of plants. But modern agriculture's emphasis on yield has 

 greatly reduced the number of varieties being planted. Instilling new genes in plant 

 varieties through traditional or emerging technological means still takes years, far 

 too long where our food system is concerned. 



In Europe, where laws similar to S. 1406 exist, there is a frightening dependence 

 upon only a handful of crop varieties. This is because overnight, hundreds of varie- 

 ties were legislated out of existence. According to a study by Genetic Resources 

 Action International of Barcelona, Spain, 94 percent of The Netherlands Spring 

 wheat comes from just one variety, 61.2 percent of France's Durum wheat comes 

 from just three varieties and two Cargill sunflower varieties comprise over 50 per- 

 cent of France's sunflower crop. 



But such dependence couldn 't happen here, could it? 



It can, has, and to some extent still is happening. In the early 1970s Southern 

 Corn Leaf Blight destroyed a major portion of the U.S. corn crop. Seed corn compa- 

 nies received a reprimand from the National Academy of Sciences for the lack of 

 genetic diversity which led to this disaster. 



The fact that such a disaster happened with hybrid corn is appalling. Hybrid corn 

 is patented by nature — it will not yield true when replanted, so farmers must buy 

 new seed each year in order to get the improved yields of the hybrid. Because of this 

 natural guarantee of a return on investment, more money is spent on hybrid corn 

 research than on research for any other crop. 



However, because of the emphasis on yield, only a fraction of the available corn 

 germplasm is being used. And it has been alleged by seed representatives from 

 Northrup King that with the exception of Pioneer, all of the Nation's seed corn 

 companies rely on Holden Foundation Seeds of Iowa for a portion or all of their 

 hybrid parent material. 



The shelving of germplasm by companies after buyouts and mergers has also been 

 documented by Kent Whealy of the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. Addi- 

 tionally, genetic resources have been lost through carelessness, disregard or neglect 

 in both the private and public sectors. Researchers at Ciba-Geigy readily admit that 

 a large portion of U.S. Southern corn lines have been lost. Their defense is that the 

 lines didn't yield as well as their Northern counterparts. However, it is important to 

 note that what may make a plant superior on one day, can make it inferior on the 

 next. An excellent case of this can be found in the search for aflatoxin-free corn. 



Aflatoxin is one of the most carcinogenic compounds known, affecting both 

 humans and livestock. It is produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus on the seeds 

 of corn or peanuts, both before and after harvest. The fungus is encouraged by 



