*SAMPLE TEXT TO YOUR STATE LAWMAKERS*
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Dear State Lawmaker,
I am writing to inform you of the very serious risks associated with “biological” pesticides and fertilizers made from genetically engineered microbes. These are enumerated in Ginkgo Bioworks’ reports to the Security and Exchange Commission:
https://orgcns.org/48ijXcv
The report linked above reads like a sci-fi writer’s brainstorm of plots for a disaster movie:
“The release of genetically modified organisms or materials, whether inadvertent or purposeful, into uncontrolled environments could have unintended consequences…
“The genetically engineered organisms and materials that we develop may have significantly altered characteristics compared to those found in the wild, and the full effects of deployment or release of our genetically engineered organisms and materials into uncontrolled environments may be unknown. In particular, such deployment or release, including an unauthorized release, could impact the environment or community generally or the health and safety of our employees, our customers’ employees, and the consumers of our customers’ products.
“In addition, if a high profile biosecurity breach or unauthorized release of a biological agent occurs within our industry, our customers and potential customers may lose trust in the security of the laboratory environments in which we produce genetically modified organisms and materials, even if we are not directly affected. Any adverse effect resulting from such a release, by us or others, could have a material adverse effect on the public acceptance of products from engineered cells and our business and financial condition. …
“We could synthesize DNA sequences or engage in other activity that contravenes biosecurity requirements, or regulatory authorities could promulgate more far-reaching biosecurity requirements that our standard business practices cannot accommodate, which could give rise to substantial legal liability, impede our business, and damage our reputation.
“The Federal Select Agent Program (“FSAP”), involves rules administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service that regulate possession, use, and transfer of biological select agents and toxins [a euphemism for bioweapons] that have the potential to pose a severe threat to public, animal, or plant health or to animal or plant products. …[W]e could err in our observance of compliance program requirements in a manner that leaves us in noncompliance with FSAP or other biosecurity rules. …
“Third parties may use our engineered cells materials, and organisms and accompanying production processes in ways that could damage our reputation.
“…[W]hile we have established a biosecurity program … to ensure that third parties do not obtain our engineered cells or other biomaterials for malevolent purposes, we cannot guarantee that these preventative measures will eliminate or reduce the risk of the domestic and global opportunities for the misuse or negligent use of our engineered cells materials, and organisms and production processes. …”
Ginkgo’s SEC filing makes clear how unleashing Frankenmicrobes into the environment might wreak havoc, but if that doesn’t do it for you, this chilling true story from Dr. Elaine Ingham will:
When Dr. Ingham was an associate professor at Oregon State University, she led a study on a genetically engineered soil bacterium that found it threatened all plant life on Earth!
In the 1990s, a German biotech company was preparing to commercialize a genetically engineered alcohol-producing version of the soil bacterium Klebsiella planticola.
When Dr. Ingham researched it, she discovered that it not only killed all of the plants tested, but had the potential to kill all terrestrial plants. Her findings ultimately prevented the genetically altered bacterium from being commercialized.
Read her study here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0929139398001292
Learn more at: https://protectnaturenow.com
Ginkgo Bioworks’ main partner is Bayer (Monsanto).
According to Friends of the Earth:
“Bayer has amassed a collection of at least 125,000 wild microbial strains and in 2019 created an umbrella branch for related products called Biologicals by Bayer. The company has rapidly expanded their activities in this area via acquisitions.
“Between 2012 and 2014, Bayer acquired three biologicals companies and in 2022 established a strategic partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, a startup company which has received $15 billion in investment to develop a platform to automate the genetic engineering of thousands of microbes at once. Bayer also acquires and markets individual microbial products from other companies. The most prominent microbial products released by the company to date are bacteria-based fungicides as well as some plant growth promoting products.”
Bayer has made a pledge to “reduce the environmental impact of crop protection by 30 percent without sacrificing yield and the health of the harvest” by 2030.
The truth is, Bayer has no plans to reduce its pesticide sales. What it’s looking to do is create additional products to stack on top of the ones it already sells.
Bayer is working with the Bill Gates-backed Pivot Bio on genetically engineered nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The promise is that it could cut synthetic fertilizer use, but there’s no evidence of that. Pivot isn’t letting independent scientists evaluate their claims.
It’s the same story with Poncho/VOTiVO, a hybrid chemical/biological insecticide product originally created by Bayer and now sold by BASF. Instead of marketing the genetically engineered Bt bacteria VOTiVO as an alternative to the neonicotinoid insecticide Poncho (which kills bees), they’re sold together–and only together–as a single product. This way, the companies can up-sell farmers, and if the product doesn’t work as advertised no one knows what’s to blame.
Learn more: https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GE_Microbes_Report_Final.pdf
Companies like Bayer and Ginkgo Bioworks can’t be trusted.
With the pesticides it sells now, Bayer’s giving farmers cancer and killing bees. The people who work for Bayer know this, but they’d rather pay billions of dollars in lawsuits than stop.
Ginkgo doesn’t care if it destroys agriculture. It’s trying to replace real food and farming with lab-grown and synbio (“precision fermentation”) Frankenfoods.
Those Frankenfoods are our future unless you act now.
Please pass legislation in our state to prevent the release of genetically engineered microbes onto farmland in our state.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Your Name