From: "Karen Oland" <ko_lists@staffingtech.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2002 10:53:33 -0400
To: <BiologicalBeekeeping@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: GM (genetically modified)

Yes, I forgot about that problem. The mixing of pollen IN THE HIVE is
precisely what is depended on when pollinating almonds, as any one bee tends
to return to the exact same tree. They carry back mixed pollen from inside
the hive, thus distributing pollen from another variety to their tree. If
two crops of corn (or soybeans, etc) are blooming at the same time, it is
not unusual for part of the field force to be on both, thus mixing the
pollen inside the hive and contaminating the non GM crop. (which means, of
course, that organic farms must maintain a 2-bee range radius around them of
non-gmo crops to really ensure their bee pollinated crops are not
contaminated). Very impractical in most areas. I read a study that
predicted that even a 10% switch to GM crops in Europe would eliminate all
organic gardening due to contamination problems.

Buffer zones are a joke .. farmers don't plant them. If they did, they'd
have to treat them seperately, then would mix them at harvest. So, the next
year, they would have to buy two seed sources again and carefully plant each
in it's own area. Not gonna happen. Plus spills on roads can contaminate
your crops, as has been demonstrated in Canada.

And for those wanting to be certified organic now, the struggle to find
organic certified soil amendments has become harder .. you have to find out
what those horses are eating, how and where it was grown, what has been
added to their rations, what shots, etc., just before using manure to
compost on our garden. In this area, what few organic supplements you can
find come in ridiculous sizes (lik 3 lb of cottonseed meal) and it is not
certified, so you don't know how it was raised or if any GM crops are in
it.

As far as our food, labeling as non-GMO is illegal here, as is rBGH free
(for dairy). Only if something is certified organic can you have some
certainty both have been excluded.

-----Original Message-----
From: Pav

Its far worse than that Karen, and as beekeepers this is a point we need to be educating folk on. Bees have been documented as foraging on corn pollen in times of pollen shortage. Forget pollen travelling up to a mile - bees will forage up to
10km (over 6 miles) RADIUS. If there is a pollen shortage, a beehive halfway between 2 crops could cross pollinate your organic GE-free crop with pollen from the Franken-Food crop 20km away...

I had heard of a case in the UK where the scientists had maintained a 12 metre or so 'buffer zone' between plantings to ensure no cross contamination. What a joke - but potentially a very unfunny one if some GE'd organisms do turn out to be
harmful.