Genetically Engineered Crop Tests Evade Scrutiny by Moving to Eastern Europe

Back to Map Page August, 1998 The environmental group Greenpeace reported on August 24 that Monsanto has begun testing its genetically engineered potatoes in the Eastern European country of Georgia. Monsanto is a major multinational genetic engineering firm based in the United States. The much-disputed bovine growth hormone BST, introduced to the US dairy industry in the mid-1990s, was produced by Monsanto. In a news release from Moscow, Greenpeace reported that Georgia had begun using the genetically altered potatoes in 1996 with the assistance of a $350,000 grant from the European Union, which apparently did not realize the potatoes purchased were genetically altered. Georgia has no regulations concerning the production, supervision, labeling, or marketing of genetically engineered foods.   Are Georgia and other states of the Caucasus region becoming a convenient--and largely invisible-- testing ground for genetically altered plants? The transgenic potatoes are genetically altered to produce an insect-killing toxin, Bacillus thurigienis (Bt), normally produced by bacteria in soil. This toxin is expected to deter Colorado potato beetles, a common potato pest in the United States. The effects on people who consume potatoes containing Bt are unknown. Greenpeace also reports that the potatoes contain a gene that resists the antibiotic Kanamycin. Again, the health effects for people who consume potatoes with this antibiotic resistance is uncertain. The map at right shows the location of Georgia and its neighboring Caucasian states. To read more, see Environmental Science, A Global Concern, Cunningham and Saigo, 5th ed. Agricultural economics and trade: pages 219-220 Green revolution: page 214 Back to Map Page feedback form | permissions | international | locate your campus rep | request a review copy digital solutions | publish with us | customer service | mhhe home Copyright ©2001 The McGraw-Hill Companies. Any use is subject to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education is one of the many fine businesses of the The McGraw-Hill Companies.