Grassley asked USDA to clarify its position in response to claims by BIO regarding the Bush Administration's position. USDA stated that the document BIO referred to, which was issued by the Food and Drug Administration on Sept. 12, 2002 in collaboration with USDA, is a guidance document, not a directive. Also, USDA stated that this guidance document is not yet finalized and comments are being received until January. USDA believes that BIO adopted only one of several possible solutions to remedy the problem of pollen drift.
"This statement by the Department of Agriculture shows again that BIO is responding to the demands of special interest, not the demands of science. I'll continue to work to ensure that Iowa is not unjustly left out of corn-based pharmaceutical crop production," Grassley said.
Grassley has been working with Iowa State University to provide a scientific response to BIO's announcement regarding pharmaceutical-producing plants. Today, Dr. Stephen H. Howell, the Director of the Plant Sciences Institute at Iowa State University, released a "white paper" in response to BIO's decision. The paper lays out the facts which should be relied upon to make science-based decisions.
"This paper shows that sound science is on Iowa's side. Dr. Howell clearly illustrates that plant-made pharmaceutical crops can safely be grown in Iowa. This paper will strengthen the case for Iowa producers as I work with BIO officials on this matter," Grassley said.
Click here for a copy of Iowa State University's white paper.