Umweltverbrechen multinationaler Konzerne - Greenpeace

hundreds of millions of US dollars as they attempted to find, retrieve
and replace products that used the maize 202 . Aventis estimated that
it would spend from USD 100 million to USD 1 billion on the 25
cents-per-bushel ‘service fee’ to buy the StarLink crop back from
farmers in 2000 and channel it into non-food uses.
Aventis has admitted it will take four years for StarLink to work its
way through the US food supply, while some industry analysts
believe it will take many more years before every kernel of StarLink
maize grown during three seasons is cleared from the US system.
Who is responsible In order to get limited approval of its StarLink maize, Aventis was
required by the EPA to act to ensure the maize did not get into the
food supply. Aventis failed to do so.
Legal and/or public
action taken
Subsequent
behaviour of company
and US authorities
The company admitted that some of the 3,000 farmers who grew
StarLink might not have been told about restrictions on the maize's
use. Some grain elevators handling StarLink were apparently also
unaware of the restriction of its use.
It seems highly probable that this GE maize has also contaminated
maize seed, maize food ingredients and maize products such animal
feed, which are exported from the US.
Both Aventis and the US authorities failed to ensure that the GE
maize – only approved for technical processes and animal feed - did
not contaminate food products.
Consumers claiming allergic reactions to the maize filed lawsuits
against major food companies.
Commodities companies such as Cargill or ADM said they were
going to be holding Aventis responsible and send it bills for their
StarLink-related expenses.
Farmers in some states – backed by State legal officials – have
brought claims against Aventis after their maize lost value because
of concerns over StarLink.
Initially, Aventis attempted to negate the problem and to debate
claims that StarLink had contaminated Taco Bell taco shells.
When US government test lab results confirmed the contamination of
the taco shells, Aventis fought back. In a bid to win approval for
StarLink biotech maize as a safe ingredient for human food, the
company submitted what it claimed was new scientific data to US
regulators, maintaining that StarLink maize was no different from
other types of GE varieties that had been approved for human food.
Aventis also asked American regulators to grant a four-year grace
period of “tolerance” to allow the existing supply of commingled
maize to wind its way through the food chain.
US regulators ruled out any immediate, temporary approval to allow
StarLink in human food. The EPA appointed a panel of scientists to
review the data submitted by Aventis and the US food and biotech
202 Maize-recall cost could reach into the hundreds of millions, Wall Street Journal, 3 November 2000.
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