Event 176

Ciba Seeds Event 176 Corn was the first variety of Bt Corn deregulated (legalized) in the United States. It is a corn variety genetically engineered by the company Ciba Seeds to be European Corn Borer Resistant. It was deregulated in the U.S. on May 17, 1995 and commercialized in the U.S. in 1998. Bt crops and genetically modified organisms are controversial around the world.

U.S. Deregulation
The first company to come out with a variety of Bt corn was Ciba Seeds. It submitted its petition for deregulation to the USDA on November 15, 1994. The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) published a notice in the Federal Register February 21, 1995, alerting the public to the petition and soliciting public comments, due by April 24, 1995. The USDA conducted an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and issued a "finding of no significant impact" (FONSI). Event 176 Corn was deregulated on May 17, 1995.

Upon deregulation, the USDA reported in the Federal Register:
 * "Ciba Seeds' Event 176 Corn has been genetically engineered to express an insect control protein representing a truncated form of the CryIA(b) protein that occurs naturally in Bacillus thurigiensis subsp. kurstaki (Btk), a common gram-positive soil bacterium. Btk proteins are very effective against certain lepidopteran insects, including European corn borer (ECB). Even 176 Corn has been modified to produce the CryIA(b) protein in green tissues and pollen cells. During field tests of Event 176 Corn, ECB infestations were significantly reduced as compared to the nontransgenic control plants."

1998: Commercialization
In 1997, Ciba-Geigy merged with Sandoz and Ciba Seeds was dissolved. In 1998, Wensman Seed, the company that had produced, marketed, and sold Ciba Seeds, introduced Event 176 in a commercial corn seed.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bt Corn
 * Biotechnology
 * GMO Policies by Country
 * Bacillus thuringiensis
 * Bt-Resistant Insects
 * Genetically Modified Organisms

External articles

 * G. Chandrashekhar, "Monsanto hopes India will clear Bt corn in 3 years," The Hindu, September 10, 2011.
 * Stephanie Bodoni, "French ban of modified maize dealt blow in court: Monsanto, 10 other companies, challenged action," STLToday.com, September 10, 2011.
 * Jack Kaskey, "Monsanto Corn Falls to Illinois Bugs as Investigation Widens," Bloomberg, September 2, 2011.
 * Clay Dillow, "Pests Are Developing Resistance to Monsanto's Engineered Supercorn," Popular Science, August 30, 2011.
 * Associated Press, "Monsanto shares slip on bug-resistant corn woes," Forbes, August 29, 2011.
 * Scott Kilman, "Monsanto Corn Plant Losing Bug Resistance," Wall Street Journal, August 29, 2011.
 * Dan Piller, "Beetle resistance reported to Monsanto BT corn," Des Moines Register, August 28, 2011.
 * Mike Gray, "Severe root damage to Bt corn confirmed in northwestern Illinois," Aces News, August 24, 2011.