EPA - Monsanto Response On Rootworm Resistance "Inadequate" - Problems Date Back Up To 4 Years; SLPD

[hatrack]

Corn plants genetically engineered by Monsanto to repel pests are suffering severe damage from insects in more areas than previously reported, according to government scientists, who called the company's monitoring of the problem "inadequate."

In a memorandum posted this week by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, scientists reported that corn plants genetically engineered to kill the corn rootworm are showing signs of severe damage in Minnesota and Nebraska fields.

This past summer, researchers from Iowa State University and the University of Illinois reported damage in their states. At the time, those appeared to be the only states with reported damage. But the EPA memo, dated Nov. 22, said that reports of severe damage in Minnesota and Nebraska actually surfaced three and four years ago.

"Producers are reporting greater-than-expected damage, and investigators are trying to pinpoint the cause," said Mike Gray, an entomologist with the University of Illinois, who this summer found evidence of damage in Illinois fields. "EPA is saying: 'Hey. What's going on? We need to take these reports seriously.'"

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/more-monsanto-corn-showing-pest-damage/article_11a473bd-c1a3-56c2-9e2b-4c869e37edb7.html#ixzz1fURdQKkv