BACKGROUND: The following information is provided in response to a report published February 23 by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The report, titled "Gone to Seed," claims to examine "a new phenomenon" regarding the purity of seedstock for commodity crops. The study found, "that the seeds of traditional varieties bought from the same retailers used by U.S. farmers are pervasively contaminated with low levels of DNA sequences originating from genetically engineered varieties of those crops." Although the report acknowledges finding biotech materials mixed-in at levels no greater than 1 percent, the report may give the uniformed reader the false impression that some higher standard of purity should be applied to all seedstock derived through biotechnology that are approved for food and feed use.

The American Soybean Association (ASA), a trade group representing 25,000 United States soybean producers, is strongly supportive of agricultural biotechnology and the benefits this technology can bring to farmers, consumers and the environment.

The ASA has long contended there is no such thing as commodity seedstock that is 100 percent pure. This fact is not new and has been universally recognized by seed breeders, farmers, and scientists for hundreds of years. Plant breeders and agriculturalists also realize that whether seedstock is developed through traditional breeding techniques or derived through modern biotechnology, the standards for varietal purity must be set to realistic levels.

Roundup Ready Soybeans® have been approved for food and feed use by government agencies in the United States, in the European Union, in China and in 23 other countries where formal approval is required for each new biotechnology-derived "genetic event" prior to importation in commodity shipments. It is the position of the ASA that the adventitious presence of biotech-enhanced crops that have been approved as safe for human and animal consumption, and safe for the environment, should not be held to higher standards than commodities grown from traditional seedstock. There simply is no scientific or safety rational for setting different standards.

Before any new seedstock is sold to U.S. farmers for planting on an unrestricted commercial basis, the ASA has had a longstanding policy of requiring that biotechnology-derived soybean varieties be fully evaluated and approved by competent regulatory agencies in the United States, and that import approvals must be made on a timely basis to all relevant overseas markets. Prior to such approvals, ASA supports government policies that require new genetic events to be grown only within a strictly controlled and monitored closed-loop system.

For soybean varieties with new genetic events not yet approved for food and feed use, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have set-forth very stringent regulations that govern the planting, harvesting, and movement of these biotechnology-derived crops. These regulations are exemplified by special geographically distinct field test plots that are utilized for evaluation of new crop traits prior to commercialization of new genetic events.

For biotech crops with pharmaceutical or industrial properties that are not intended for food use, the APHIS regulations applicable to the minimum separation distance required around fields of crops grown with pharmaceutical properties or industrial use traits is 1,000 times greater than the separation distance required around fields of certified seed production for commodity soybeans. APHIS and FDA also require dedicated planting, harvesting, and other equipment to prevent commingling of harvested seed. ASA is confident these regulations, and the oversight of the U.S. FDA, will continue to keep the food supply free of all genetic events not intended for food or feed use.