Anheuser-Busch - won't buy GMO grains- AP 4/13/05

[Guest guest]

Well, I guess I never imagined that the beer companies were going to be

such powerful allies in the battle against unnatural grains.

 

I suppose Monsanto will not let it rest at that -- should be an

interesting battle between the two.

 

I think I want to side with the beer company on this one -- who wants to

offer the Deities rice which contains human genes? Is that even offerable?

 

ys

 

hkdd

 

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Wednesday, April 13, 2005, Associated Press

 

Beer Giant Says it Won't Buy Rice from States That Grow GM Crops

 

WASHINGTON -- Anheuser-Busch Cos., the nation's No. 1 buyer of rice as

well as its largest brewer, says it won't buy rice from Missouri if

genetically modified, drug-making crops are allowed to be grown in the

state.

 

The St. Louis-based beer giant, which says it is concerned about

possible contamination, is the latest company to express concern over

plans by Ventria Biosciences to grow 200 acres of rice engineered to

produce human proteins that can make drugs.

 

Biotechnology firms have been seeking federal approval for outdoor

plantings, often called "biopharming," because the idea is to lower

drug-making costs by using plants to grow medications.

 

Other food companies, environmentalists and farmers have said they fear

genetically altered rice could cross-pollinate with other food crops,

introducing the foreign genes into the regular food chain.

 

Last month, Arkansas-based Riceland Foods Inc., the world's largest rice

miller and marketer, asked federal regulators to deny a permit for

Ventria's project, saying Riceland's customers don't want to risk buying

genetically modified rice.

 

Anheuser-Busch is believed to be the first major company to threaten a

boycott over the issue, according to comments filed last month with the

Agriculture Department.

 

"Given the potential for contamination of commercial rice production in

this state, we will not purchase any rice produced or processed in

Missouri if Ventria introduces its pharma rice here," Jim Hoffmeister, a

vice president at Anheuser-Busch, said Tuesday.

 

Scott Deeter, president of Sacramento-based Ventria, called Anheuser-

Busch's threat "totally irresponsible" and said fears of contamination

are overblown. He cited Ventria's plans to use "a totally closed system

of production [right...]" with a plant that pollinates itself and is

separated geographically from any other crop.

 

Biopharming has been growing for a decade despite continued attacks from

genetic engineering foes who fear such work hasn't been studied enough

to ensure the safety of the nation's food supply if accidental mixing

occurs.

 

Genetically modified crops are regulated by the USDA, with state

governments allowed to review safety procedures and suggest more

stringent regulation of the companies before a permit is issued.

 

Ventria is seeking USDA approval to grow rice genetically enhanced with

synthetic human genes to produce the proteins lactoferrin and lysozyme,

which the company hopes to harvest and refine for use in medicines to

fight diarrhea and dehydration. The USDA can either deny Ventria's

permit or issue a permit with additional conditions.

 

Since 1995, the USDA has approved more than 300 biopharming plantings

around the country, though most are for small outdoor plots of less than

an acre each. If Ventria's application is approved, it would be the

largest such growth site to date, USDA spokeswoman Karen Eggert said.

No human drug made from genetically engineered crops has been approved

for commercial use.

 

The issue has already roiled California's $500 million-a-year rice

industry. Last year, California regulators denied Ventria's application

to grow commercial quantities of rice with human genes after rice

growers said they feared international customers would refuse to buy

conventionally grown crops out of contamination fears.

 

Meanwhile, farmers in southeast Missouri, where nearly all of the

state's $100 million rice crop is grown, have presented Missouri's

agriculture director a petition with 175 signatures opposing the plans.

Missouri is the sixth-largest rice-producing state.

 

Despite the concerns, the Missouri Farm Bureau has continued to support

Ventria, which recently announced it was moving from Sacramento, Calif.,

to Northwest Missouri State University to be the anchor tenant of a new

center for plant-made pharmaceuticals.

 

"Any concerns have been addressed thoroughly to the satisfaction of the

scientific community," said university president Dean Hubbard.

 

In trading Tuesday, Anheuser-Busch shares rose 66 cents, or 1.4 percent,

to $46.71 on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has traded in a

52-week range of $45.45 to $54.74.

 

© 2005 The Associated Press