Links

Here are some additional links where you can learn more about pharm crops:

Organizations

Californians for GE-Free Agriculture
Working with California farmers to prevent the adoption of genetically engineered (GE) crops that threaten international and domestic markets and pose legal risks to farmers.

Friends of the Earth
Extensive info on pharm crops, including reports, fact sheet, press releases, communications with government agencies about regulatory issues.

The True Food Network section on pharm crops
The True Food Network was created in 2000 as part of Greenpeace's genetic engineering campaign. In 2003, the network became its own organization.

Articles

Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology: Pharming reaps regulatory changes, May 2003.
"One of the key concerns about using GM plants to produce pharmaceuticals came into dramatic relief last fall when corn engineered to produce a pharmaceutical was discovered in soybeans destined for animal and human consumption."

Letter from Margaret Mellon, director of Union of Concerned Scientists' Food and Environment Program, to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Mark McLellan, Feb. 5, 2003.
"To avoid a "StarLink with drug genes," USDA and FDA should impose a moratorium on field tests and commercial production of engineered pharm crops. That delay should last until they have convened the scientific advisory committee and established a regime that the scientific community believes will assure the goal of zero contamination of the food supply."

Biopharm Roulette, AlterNet, Nov. 27, 2002
"ProdiGene's dramatic soybean contamination scandal has ripped the veil of secrecy off the pharmaculture industry, at least for the time being. Now the pressure must be put on the USDA to remove the veil forever. "

A cure for the common farm?, Mother Jones, March 2003
"Genetically engineered 'pharmacrops' could be a curse for the Corn Belt -- or the family farm's last hope."

gmfoodnews.com
Large selection of news articles about pharm crops.

Drug farms forced underground, Wired News, May 27, 2004
"Researchers who want to grow genetically modified plants that contain pharmaceutical drugs are being forced underground -- literally."

Poll: U.S. farmers hesitant to grow "bio-pharm" crops -- Reuters, Jan. 23, 2003
"Nearly half of U.S. farmers surveyed said they were undecided or opposed to growing biotech crops engineered to produce drugs for ailments like diabetes, according to a Reuters poll released yesterday."

Medicine crops to say in Midwest despite concerns -- Reuters, March 7, 2003
"The federal government said Thursday it would not stop U.S. farmers in the Midwest and Plains states from planting new crops engineered to produce medicines despite pleas from environmental groups and the food industry worried about possible contamination."

Kraft executive wants tougher rules on planting crops for drugs -- Chicago Sun-Times, April 4, 2003
"Kraft Co-CEO Betsy Holden is calling for stricter rules for planting crops that are bio-engineered to produce pharmaceuticals. The usually tight-lipped and regulation-averse Holden told an agricultural forum that such crops, as well as genetically modified animals, pose a threat to the food supply."

The Three Mile Island of biotech? -- The Nation, Dec. 12, 2002
In-depth report on the Prodigene pharm crop contamination incident .