Last fall, the Environmental Protection Agency warned that
Monsanto’s Bt corn, which was genetically engineered a decade
ago to ward off rootworms, is now falling prey to worms that
have developed resistance to the plants’ built-in insecticide.
The EPA also expressed concern that Monstanto’s monitoring was
“inadequate and likely to miss early resistance events.” At the
time, a company spokesperson denied there was a problem, telling
Bloomberg News, “Monsanto continues to believe there’s no
scientific confirmation of resistance to its Bt corn.” However,
this year’s corn-growing season is now well under way in the
United States, and in some places the crops are suffering severe
damage. Scientists have identitied the culprit as Bt-resistant
rootworms. The resistant rootworms have also appeared in South
Africa, India, and China, but they may have the greatest impact
in the United States, where more than half the corn grown is Bt.
According to Monsanto’s critics, this outcome amounts to a
“perfect storm.” We’re st