Missouri’s attorney general is suing Aventis CropScience, the maker of a genetically improved corn variety called StarLink. Last year the corn, which had been approved only for animal consumption, was found in products within the human food chain. In January, attorneys general from 17 states signed an agreement with Aventis that requires the company to pay farmers who grew StarLink a 25-cent premium over what the market would have paid for their product. The “show me” state did not sign the agreement, and seems intent on exacting its own pound of flesh against the biotech company. This, despite the fact that not one single human death or illness (not even a mild allergic reaction) has been attributed to StarLink corn.
