Th N ZTh N ZThere are No ZeroesThere are No Zeroes

Allen Van DeynzeAllen Van DeynzeUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of CaliforniaUniversity of California

Dec 2Dec 2ndnd, 2010, 2010

Organic too!

2009 Biotech World stats

CropBiotech (%)p ( )

soybean 77cotton 49maize 26canola 21

Sugarbeet (US) 95Alfalfa (2005 US) 5‐10Alfalfa (2005 US) 5‐10

Organic = 0.51% of US cropland,g pBiotech = 31%(USDA 2007)

Production of alfalfa

3,500

2,500

3,000

2,000

,

s (1

000s

)

California (1000 acres)

1,000

1,500

Acr

es

US (1000 acres)

500

02000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Alfalfa & Alfalfa Mixtures (2009)

Organic  % 1000 acres acres* organic

California 170 37 21 5California 170 37 21.5 

United States 2828 534 18.9 

*Organic includes all hay

But Seed only 1-2% and <1% organic

Co-existence is essential

3.5

2.5

3.0seed to seed honeybeeseed to seed leafcutterhay to seed

There are no zeros!

1 5

2.0

% G

ene

Flow

hay to hay

1.0

1.5%

0.0

0.5

050

010

0015

0020

0025

0030

0035

0040

0045

0050

0055

0060

0065

0070

0075

0080

0085

0090

00

Isolation distance (ft)

Co-existence is Feasible

AOSCA-89 years old, 70 countriesy• Alfalfa Seed Stewardship Program

(ASSP)OECD- 49 yrs old - 33 countriesASTA-StewardshipASTA StewardshipNAFA-alfalfa stewardship papers

All practical coexistence strategies have no zero tolerancestolerances

Coexistence failures

StarlinkRi LL604Rice LL604

• Partial approval- feed only• Not a safety issue• Not a safety issue

Leonardo Sustainability committee-ANSI standardsstandards• Super-organic• Denounced by USDAy• All Production Agriculture representatives

leftAll of the above had zero thresholds

Beets and chard

http://www.howstuffworks.com/

Sugar beet

2005: RR sugar beet de-regulated in US 2009: 95% US sugar beets RR July, 2010: CFS sues USDA- sugar beet planting y g g

injunctionAug. 2010: USDA issues permits for 11 sites in

AZ, ORNovember – Center for Food Safety sues USDA

again for allowing regulated trials in AZShooting for a zero standard.

Recent Successes

AB541 CA, 2008.The bill would provide that a farmer is not liable based

on the presence or possession of a patented genetically engineered plant when the farmer did not knowinglyengineered plant when the farmer did not knowingly buy or otherwise knowingly acquire the genetically engineered plant, acted in good faith and without k l d f th ti ll i d t f thknowledge of the genetically engineered nature of the plant, and when the genetically engineered plant is detected at a de minimis level, as specified.

Practical threshold

Recent successes-International

Cartegena Protocol on Biosafetyg yCPB Article 15 states that a lack of

information per se does not imply risk Liability clause-2010-an administrative

regime and not a civil liability regime, which means that only the Government can act in case there is alleged damage to biodiversity i e not the courtsto biodiversity i.e. not the courts.

Co-existence Workgroups

SafflowerAlfalfa

National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance

www.alfalfa.org

Alfalfa progress

2005-deregulatedg2007 re-regulated –EIS

• Gene Flow and weed resistanceGene Flow and weed resistance2010- Court ruling reversed on all

counts in 7:1 decisioncounts in 7:1 decision2011 – planting again?What was the cost of this decision to

the industry?

Co-existence principles

Well established in the seed industryCommunicationCommunicationPerson with different standard bares the

responsibility to meet itp yPractical thresholdsRules have changedRules have changed

• Public now involved• Courts involved• Science doesn’t matter?• Neither are informed or understand effect of zeroes

Can we ignore solutions to sustainability?

Salinity

Nitrogen use efficiency

Keystone Alliance for SustainibilityCorn Per bushel findings: Productivity (yield per acre)

increased 41 percent

Wheat Per bushel findings: Productivity (yield per acre)

increased by 19 percentp Land use decreased 37 percent Soil loss decreased 69 percent Irrigation water use has been

variable with an average 27

Land use was variable, with an average overall decrease of 17 percent

Soil loss improved 50 percent i h i hvariable, with an average 27

percent decrease Energy use decreased 37

percent Greenhouse gas emissions

with most improvements over the first half of the study period

Irrigation water use per bushel produced due to irrigation showed an average flat trend Greenhouse gas emissions

decreased 30 percentan average flat trend

Energy use decreased 9 percent Greenhouse gas emissions

increased 15 percent, with a largeri i th l tt h lf f thincrease in the latter half of the study period

www.keystone.orgy g

Will Walmart understand?

The only person with zeroes

Andrew Kimbrell $100,000,0..

“CFS seeks to halt the approval,CFS seeks to halt the approval, commercialization or release of any new genetically engineered crops until they have been thoroughly tested and found safe for human health and the

i t”environment”“CFS Files Legal Action Against USDA on

National Organic Standards”http://archive.centerforfoodsafety.org

National Organic Standards