Roundup Ready Soybeans

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Roundup Ready Soybeans

• A Presentation By
• Won Bahng
• Winston Chu
• Yashmine Eugenio

2
What are SOYBEANS?

• Ingredient in wide range of foods
• Chocolates
• Meat
• Sauces
• Bakery foods
• Margarine
• Animal feed
• Baby food
• Diet food

3
U.S. as 1 Soybean-Producer

• U.S. produces 50 of the soybeans in the world
• Soybean is U.S. 2nd largest crop
• Exports to Asia, Europe, Australia, Pacific
  Islands
• 63 of soybean crop is Roundup Ready Soybeans

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World Soybean Trade (1995)
  (Source American Soybean Association, 1996)
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Why do Soybeans depend heavily on herbicides?

• Soybeans are more susceptible to high rates of
  soil erosion than other plants like corn because
  soybeans do not produce much foliage ? minimum
  tillage farming system

• Minimum tillage soybean systems, while good for
  the soil and for water quality, are in general
  more reliant on herbicides.

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Minimum Tillage

• Type of Conservation tillage
• This planting system prepares a seedbed 2 inches
  wide or less, leaving most of the surface
  undisturbed and still covered with crop residues.
  The result is a wetter, colder environment that
  protects the seed and soil with its insulating
  effect of the surface residue.

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Historical overview of Herbicide use in Soybean
Production

• Mid-1980s, most soybean herbicides were applied
  in combinations and tillage and cultivation still
  played a significant role in weed management
  system on many farms.

• Many of the products dominated the soybean
  herbicide use in the 1980s are still popular
  today.

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What are Roundup Ready Soybeans?

• Same function as conventional soybeans
• Developed by Monsanto Corp.
• Genetically modified to resist glyphosate, active
  ingredient of roundup by insertion of DNA from
  soil bacteria

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How are RRS made?

• Incorporates bacterial version of glyphosate,
  killing it so RRS would resist Roundup
• Other genes inserted cauliflower mosaic virus,
  EPSPS from petunias, nopaline synthetase gene
• EPSPS might be a problem to
• intestines, but could be
• deactivated by cooking
• (problem fed raw to cattle,
• steak is served rare medium rare)

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What is glyphosate?

• Enzyme absorbed mainly through leaves,
  transported to most of plant
• Kills plants by stopping its metabolic process
• Low toxicity to animals but very toxic to plants

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Roundup Ready Soybeans Why are they better?

• Reduce chemical use in soybean fields by up to
  33
• Maximize yield
• Protect soil
• Reduce production cost
• Reduce cost for consumers

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How are RRS approved?

• 1st, by US Dept. of Agriculture
• Approved for marketing sale by US Food Drug
  Administration
• Prior to approval extensive testing for safety,
  nutrition, composition environmental impact

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RR Soybeans Great Commercial Success

• In 2001, over 60 of soybeans in US were planted
  with RR varieties, just five years after the
  introduction in 1996.
• Despite costing more, farmers have eagerly
  adopted RR soybean technology because it greatly
  simplifies weed management.

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Monsantos RRS Price Reduction

• In 1998, Monsanto reduced the price of RR
  soybeans from 18 per pound to 14, about 22
  price drop.
• In 2001, RR was sold for 10 per pound.
• Since the introduction of RR soybeans, the
  average price of Roundup has fallen about 44.

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RR Soybeans trigger Herbicide Price War

• Herbicide companies pressured to reduce the price
  of herbicides to compete with the RR soybean
  systems.
• Dupont, the major manufacturer of the
  sulfonylurea herbicide, pull the plug on prices
  in attempt to slow their loss of soybean
  herbicide market share.
• Prices of 42 herbicide products were cut.
• E.g.) In 1996, farmers paid 1,220 per pound and
  in 1997, 620 per pound for Duponts
  sulfonylurea.

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Monsanto claims RR soybeans seize the hearts,
minds fields of US farmers

• American Cyanamid, major manufacturer of the
  popular imidazolinone herbicides, applied its
  flagship product-imazethapyr to 44 of the
  soybean acres in 1995.

• A.C. underestimated the appeal of RR soybeans
  and after major reductions in their
  products, sold its agricultural and chemical and
  seed division to the German-based company BASI in
  2000.

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The Risks

• From limited experimentation to large-scale
  growth
• 20 rats, 60 chickens, 5 cows
• Feeding tests only ran for 10 weeks
• Now fed to humans all over the world
• How about long-term effects?
• Will it genetically contaminate wild relatives
  esp. since sold internationally?
• Monsanto claims that technology is precise and
  predictable however, unexpected DNA was found.

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Professional Issues

• Large scale farmers vs. Small Farmers
• Only large scale farmers
• able to afford RRS
• Will consumers buy
• RRS once it is labeled?
• RRS vs. Conventional
• soybeans
• Is RRS cost effective for farmers?

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Legal/Policy Issues

• Food Safety Laws
• U.S. wants food safety laws relaxed in Europe
  for economic benefits
• Health
• Is RRS safe for humans?
• Patenting of RRS vs. Brownbagging of Farmers

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Environmental Issues

• Pollution to water
• Decrease in wild plant diversity
• Harm animals beneficial soil micro-organisms
• Spray can drift 400-800m away from application
  site damage wild plants flowers.
• Death of plants can indirectly harm wild life
  such as insects, birds and mammals

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Health Issues

• Glyphosate residues persist long after its use,
  in the soil and surrounding areas.
• Toxic to Humans eye skin irritation, cardiac
  depression vomitting
• Third most commonly-reported cause of pesticide
  related illnesses among agricultural workers
• Unknown DNA in the market

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Ethical Issues

• Toxicology
• Animal testing
• Testing various herbicides on animals for LD50
• Stewardship of agricultures genetic heritage
• Human vs. Animals
• Humans respond differently to RRB than animals
  that are tested
• Limited experimental data
• Information should be readily available to
  consumers

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Case Study Monsanto sues the Nelsons 1998-2001

• The Nelsons planted RRS in 68 acres of farm
  infested by milkweeds from 98-99
• In buying RRS from Monsanto Nelson signed a
  contract of not planting RRS the next year
• They killed milkweeds with Roundup
• Results More Roundup was
• used to kill weeds yield was
• lower than conventional
• soybeans

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Case study continued (2)

• A Monsanto inspector came and looked _at_ seed
  receipts because of suspicion that the Nelsons
  replanted RRS in 99
• Months later, they came and took samples (none
  of the family saw them doing so)
• In 2000, Monsanto sent a letter saying that lab
  tests showed that RRS was planted on fields
  Nelson claimed was only conventional soybeans
• Nelson claims that RRS entered his conventional
  field through cross-pollination

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Case study continued (3)

• Monsanto sued Nelsons for breach of contract,
  violation of its patent rights for 75,000
• In their defense, Nelsons invited Cass County
  Extension Service to examine spray patches of
  fields with Roundup. Only RRS should survive,
  their soybeans in the patches died
• Monsanto claims that the Nelsons sprayed
  something else to kill the beans

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Case study continued (4)

• Nelsons offered to let Monsanto take samples from
  dead patches to lab to determine what really
  killed them but Monsanto refused the offer
• Nelsons and farming families frustrations with
  genetically engineered soybeans.
• Monsanto has filed hundreds of similar lawsuits

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Who are the stakeholders?

• The Nelsons
• Monsanto
• Other farmers (big and small)
• Consumers all over the world who are eating RRS
  (ALL OF US)
• Herbicide Producers
• Agricultural workers
• Environment

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Possible Actions Consequences

• Action Completely eliminate RRS
• Consequences
• Monsanto will lose large profit
• Farmers who are currently using RRS system will
  not profit
• Increase in herbicide use in order to kill weeds
• Herbicide manufacturers will recover because
  dependence on herbicide will increase
• Farmers will regain their rights

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• Action Halt its use until
• further experimentation
• to completely know
• its consequences
• Consequences
• Monsanto will not profit until sales allowed
• Animals humans can be spared from RRSs harmful
  effects
• Farmers will be more educated about RRS
• Safer soybeans!!!

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• Action Continue its use but
• must have money-back
• warranty and allow
• farmers to have more
• rights
• Consequences
• Farmers will regain their rights
• Farmers will not lose money
• Monsanto will not monopolize the market
• Possible harmful effects of RRS to humans and the
  ecosystem is still unknown
• Conventional farmers will not be sued for
  cross-pollination

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• Action Just continue its use
• Consequences
• May find many harmful effects of RRS on humans
  and the ecosystem
• Monsanto will greatly benefit
• Conventional farmers will be forced to pay for
  RRS technology use even in the case of
  cross-pollination contamination
• Farmers using RRS systems will not be able to
  brownbag
• Herbicide producers will lose profit
• Sole reliance on RRS might lead to evolution of
  pests and weeds that become resistant to roundup
  herbicides.

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Utilitarian Perspective

• Halt its use until further experimentation to
  completely know its consequences
• Greatest benefit over least harm
• Monsanto will have more chance to prove RRSs
  positive impacts
• Farmers will no longer be disappointed with RRS
• Consumers will not have to eat RRS without
  knowing what it entails

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Individual Rights/Fairness

• Continue its use but must have money-back
  warranty or allow farmers to have rights
• Protect the legitimate moral rights of farmers
• Monsanto would be respecting farmers traditions
  economic status
• Farmers would have as much right to RRS as
  Monsanto because its theirs when they buy it

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Common Good

• Halt its use until further experimentation to
  completely know its consequences
• Shared pursuit to produce the best soybean in the
  market
• Must find the benefits and harms of RRS with
  further experimentation in order to produce the
  best product

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Final DecisionUtilitarian Common Good

• Halt its use until further experimentation to
  completely know its consequences
• Long term effects of RRS must be known
• Will save humans, animals, and ecosystem from
  possible harms
• Monsanto can reexamine its product before putting
  it in the market
• Additional note RRS patent must be revised to
  prevent farmers from being sued