In a room packed so full that it made an Ithaca fire marshal nervous, scientists, farmers and local activists gathered Oct. 3 to testify before members of the New York State Assembly Committee on Agriculture on whether the state should adopt a moratorium on genetically modified organisms, or GMOs.
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| Cornell faculty members, from left, Stephen Kresovich, plant breeding; Russell Hahn, crop and soil sciences; and Joseph Hotchkiss, food science, give testimony on GMOs before members of the New York State Assembly Committee on Agriculture Oct. 3 in Ithaca Common Council chambers. Barry DeLibero/University Photography |
"I've been a member of the Assembly's Agriculture Committee for 12 years and this is the hottest issue I've had to face," said area Assemblyman Marty Luster (D-125th Dist.), one of the five members present for the third of four hearings on this subject being conducted around the state. Assembly members joining Luster at the hearings were Vivian E. Cook (D-32nd Dist.), Clifford W. Crouch '67 (R-122nd Dist.), Gary D. Finch (R-126th Dist.) and William Magee '61 (D-111th Dist.), chairman of the committee.
Legislation introduced earlier this year in the state Assembly and Senate is aimed at halting the production and research of genetically modified crops in the state for at least five years. It would also mandate the labeling of such foods from other states sold here. The bills were sponsored by Assemblyman John J. McEneny (D-104th Dist.) of Albany County and by Senator Kenneth P. LaValle (R-1st Dist.) of Suffolk County.
Nearly 100 people crammed into Ithaca Common Council chambers for the Oct. 3 hearing and many people stood against the wall -- forcing the city fire marshal to interrupt the proceedings to find seats for the crowd, remind Assembly members of New York's prohibition against blocking aisles, and point out the fire exits.
Fire laws were not the only burning issues -- passion over the issue under discussion was hot. About 30 people testified during the hearings, which lasted more than four hours. Beth Ann Strenkoski, vice president of the Northeast Organic Farming Association, and organic grower Lou Johns, of Blue Heron Farm, were among many participants in favor of the bills. Executives from the New York Corn Growers Association voiced their opposition.
Entomologist and associate director of research in Cornell's New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Tony Shelton, one of six Cornell faculty members testifying, said he believed the proposed legislation would have mixed and unpredictable economic impacts.
"It would put some of our agricultural producers at a significant disadvantage compared to producers in other states and nations," Shelton said. "On the other hand, it may help some organic producers and others growing non-genetically engineered crops if -- and I stress if -- it can be shown that they will have increased ability to market their products as free of genetically engineered material because of such a statewide moratorium."
A moratorium would likely result in continued pesticide use on some crops, which could otherwise be protected by genetic technologies, Shelton told the Assembly members. "And such a moratorium in our state might limit the ability of New York farmers to move into new bio-based production processes that could increase agricultural-based productivity," he said.
Acknowledging that concerns about food safety and environmental risks have prompted the proposed moratorium and deserve attention, Shelton said: "Research is under way to understand these risks more fully, but such research would be jeopardized by a moratorium on planting genetically engineered crops in New York. Determining the risks and benefits of genetically engineered crops, traditional production systems and organic agriculture needs to be done on a case-by-case basis, as the risks and benefits differ for each crop and each production system. A broadly based moratorium would not allow this case-by-case consideration."
Susan McCouch, professor of plant breeding, said that choice in the marketplace must be maintained and that production of genetically engineered (GE) foods should be continued. "A ban on all production and research of genetically engineered foods would stifle innovation and frustrate those who want to make use of GE technology for legitimate production and research purposes," she said.
Stephen Kresovich, professor of plant breeding and director of the Institute for Genomic Diversity, provided an analogy for the Assembly members to consider when evaluating potential benefits and risks of GMO crops. The founding fathers of the United States -- Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson -- recognized the value of introducing and cultivating new plants, he said.
While crop introductions have included such problematic species as kudzu, Johnsongrass and water hyacinth, they also have provided society with corn, soybean, wheat, alfalfa, citrus, grape, apple and most other major agricultural crops important to New York state and the United States, Kresovich pointed out. "With our current understanding of biology, genetics, agriculture and ecology, we're in a better position to affect positive results while minimizing risk than the originators of the federal plant introduction system. But we are not capable of eliminating risk, and that's the issue we must all consider," he said.
Milton Zaitlin, professor emeritus of plant pathology and associate director of the Cornell Biotechnology Program, said that current protections are solid. "I feel that the current regulatory apparatus is adequate to protect the public's health and safety and to protect the environment," he said. "I see no circumstances unique to New York state that would warrant new state regulations. Nor would the current situation suggest that we need to have a moratorium on growing GMO crops in the state. Good science does not support such a moratorium, and it would be a very anti-competitive action for New York."
Also testifying from Cornell were Russell Hahn, associate professor of crop and soil sciences; and Joseph Hotchkiss, professor of food science.
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