Michigan Senate Bill 777

Dear Reader,

As the blooming of spring is in high gear, there seems to be other things trying to work their way to reach the light of day. Here in Michigan, SB 777: A food controversy, as the state Senate considers a bill that would forbid towns and counties from enacting local legislation to regulate genetically engineered seed. This bill poses a flat out threat to our democratic process and could prove especially harmful given the serious concerns raised by genetically engineered crops.

Based on these serious concerns three counties in California have enacted a ban on the growing of GE crops and live stock. Austria, a pioneer in GE legislation, is setting further examples pertaining to GE organisms. Austria is one of five European countries virtually banning the planting of GE crops based on the precautionary principle via local precautionary laws. Since 2004 Austria has labeling laws in effect which mandate for foods with GE origin or ingredients to be labeled as such in order to ensure the traceability of GMO.

What is the precautionary principle?

The precautionary principle advocates complete investigation of a risk posed by a new technology before it is adopted. This of course would apply to GMO to demonstrate that they are totally harmless before they are planted, grown, and eventually ingested. However, there are some studies which have shown that GE is not at all as harmless as the big seed companies would want you to believe.

Here they are;

Austria banned the planting of butterfly killing transgenic maize based on a study, conducted at the Cornell University, New York, USA, which found that caterpillars of the Monarch butterfly feeding on plant leaves, which got dusted with pollen from the Norvartis transgenic Bt maize, ate less, grew slower and died faster compared to caterpillars that didn't feed on the pollen.(1)

A study at the Shaare Zedak Medical Center in Jerusalem, explored the effects of a diet including bacteria fed to mice, and a different group of mice with a diet which included only the DNA of the same bacteria. With the result being, that both diets had the same implication on the immune system of the mice. This further raises the suspicion that there is an, as of yet, unknown connection between the immune system and DNA of food.

While the Food and Drug Administration insists that foods produced by genetic engineering are the same as foods from traditional breeding, their own scientists reported that, "the processes of genetic engineering and traditional breeding are different and... they lead to different risks." as shown in the discovery documents from the lawsuit against the FDA, Alliance for Bio-Integrity et al v. Shalala, May 1998. Center for Food Safety, 666 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 202-547-9359.

SB 777 is bad for Michiganders because preemptive legislation runs contrary to every democratic principle and a citizen's involvement in the democratic process. It will strip local governments of their jurisdiction and the means of voters to pass LOCAL ballot initiatives pertaining to their well-being. SB 777 would legally prohibit the local regulation of GMO, if local regulation were desired via bans or permit only seeding, or other means of ensuring the publics safety.

Based on the above mentioned opposition to GE, corporations have a great interest in supporting candidates which are sponsoring asinine bills like SB 777.

It is up to every individual reader, to decide what risks they would like to live with. If GE or GMO's are of no concern to you, I urge you to take action anyway, based on the precautionary principle. Before passing this piece of legislation, lets make sure we have first and foremost the public's safety in mind. Let's make sure we can guarantee the supply of safe, nutritious food for future generations.

I would like to leave you with the words of, Werner Mueller, Genetic Engineering Expert, Global 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria.

"The human genome project showed clearly that although we are full of data there is a huge lack of understanding what is really happening in a cell. Without this knowledge risk assessment is just like stumbling in the dark. GE technology is still too premature to be released for human consumption. GMO-free zones are very important initiatives to meet expectations of those consumers who do not want to be part of this great food gamble which scientist play."

I, as a chef, a person who deals with food every day, have done my research on GE foods and I have come to the conclusion, like so many others, that indeed, there is no scientific research showing nutritional benefits of GE foods which would warrant wide spread use of GMO's.

Let's follow other communities and not gamble with our food supply, help defeat SB 777.

Beste Gesundheit,

Werner Absenger

(1) Losey, Rayor, Carter, Transgenic pollen harms monarch
larvae, Nature 399, 214, 20 May 1999.

I urge you to contact the Bill Sponsors:

Senator Jerry Van Woerkom
PO Box 30036
Lansing, MI  48909-7536
Phone: (517) 373-1635
Fax:(517) 373-3300
Email: sengvanwoerkom@senate.michigan.gov

Senator Alan Cropsey
PO Box 30036
Lansing, MI  48909-7536
By Phone: (517) 373-3760
Toll Free: 866-305-2133
 Fax: (517) 373-8661
Email: senacropsey@senate.michigan.gov

Senator Ron Jelinek
PO Box 30036
Lansing, MI  48909-7536
By Phone: (517) 373-6960
Toll Free: 1-866-305-2121
By Fax: (517) 373-0897
Email: senrjelinek@senate.michigan.gov

Senator Jim Barcia
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Phone: 517-373-1777
Fax: 517-373-5871
e-mail: SenJBarcia@senate.michigan.gov

Contact your Representative below:
http://www.senate.michigan.gov/SenatorInfo/find-your-senator.htm

Tell the governor to veto this bill should it pass.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
PHONE: (517) 373-3400
PHONE: (517) 335-7858 - Constituent Services
FAX:(517) 335-6863
Share your opinion: http://www.michigan.gov/gov/0,1607,7-168-21995-65331--,00.html