Sunday March 18, 1:17 am Eastern Time

Starlink bio-corn said to be in 430 million bushels

WASHINGTON, March 18 (Reuters) - More than 430 million bushels of
corn in storage nationwide contain some of the genetically engineered
Starlink variety that prompted a massive recall of corn products last fall, the
Washington Post reported on Sunday, quoting the company that made
Starlink.

The paper said John Wichtrich, general manager for Aventis Cropscience,
a unit of the Franco-German pharmaceutical group Aventis SA , would make
the announcement in a speech to the North American Millers Association
in San Antonio, Texas on Sunday.

Wichtrich's estimate greatly increases estimates of the amount of corn
that was inadvertently mixed with the engineered variety, which is not 
approved for human consumption.

The affected corn -- more than 4 percent of the 1999 U.S. corn
production -- will have to be routed to animal feed and ethanol production, 
the Post said.

Wichtrich will tell the millers that most of the commingled corn was
from the 1999 crop and is in grain elevators.

The 430 million-bushel estimate dwarfs the amount of corn reported
earlier from the 2000 crop as containing StarLink -- about 50 million bushels 
grown by farmers licensed to use it and 20 million bushels from 
neighboring fields.

Wichtrich said 99 percent of the 2000 StarLink corn has been identified
and redirected.

The genetically modified protein in Starlink corn, called Cry9C, was
barred by U.S. regulators for human use because of concerns it might cause 
allergic reactions. The discovery of the gene-altered corn in taco shells 
last September triggered a recall of more than 300 U.S. foods.

The engineered corn apparently was mixed with other corn by farmers
inadvertently delivering StarLink to buyers without notifying them, but it 
also could have occurred by pollen from StarLink fields blowing onto nearby 
plants.

In his speech, Wichtrich will offer to set up small labs in mills that
produce corn meal, grits and flour to ensure that the processed corn does 
not contain any of the genetically engineered protein in StarLink, according 
to the Post.

He said that effort had been planned in conjunction with the Food and
Drug Administration. The Environmental Protection Agency has concluded the 
protein does not survive the ``wet milling'' process that makes corn syrup 
and oil, and Wichtrich said on-site testing of those mills is not required.

In addition, Wichtrich will tell corn processors that the StarLink
problem will not go away soon.

``I know you are wondering: Will there ever be an end to this?'' the Post 
quoted him as saying in a copy of his speech.

``Unfortunately, as of right now, the answer is 'No' -- there will never
be an 'end' as long as there is a zero tolerance for Cry9C in food.''