ABC's reply

Anne:
Thanks for the follow up to your original query.
Sorry it has taken longer to respond then we would have liked.
My earlier email advised we forwarded your questions to our supplier, for a more detailed response.
Unfortunately, we have not yet received a response from them.
We will respond further once we are in receipt of their information.
In the meantime, please note the following comments.

Simply put, we are very cognizant of our total environmental footprint.
We designed our project to address many of the environmental issues all of us are facing today and will face tomorrow.

Our design is:
- neutral for electricity
- neutral for thermal heat
- neutral for water
- neutral for crop nutrients
- no waste stream from the facility


-- What studies have been conduct to assess the impact of additional Round-up ready crops on water courses in NS?
I'm not aware of any specific studies assessing the impact of additional round-up ready crops in NS.
However, as you are aware, RR crops are approved for use in Canada and the US.
The DNA and protein analysis from sugar made from a RR sugarbeet compared to a conventional sugarbeet is identical.
Growers in the US will plant nearly 95% of their sugarbeet crop to RR varieties in 2009. That is up from just over 60% in 2008.
The technology is proven by APHIS and USDA to be safe for food and feed and is fully deregulated.

We soil test each field prior to planting, during the growth stage and post harvest.
This enables us to be able to customize field management programs to reduce grower risks.
We also utilize crop rotation techniques to ensure we are not depleting field soil nutrients.

Our beet requires less herbicides and pesticides than most crops, as well as less fertilizers.
This means a significant reduction in the possibility of water contamination, compared to other crops.
The impact on the environment, due to fewer herbicide applications and decreased management of the crop, is a substantial benefit and should be considered a great advantage.

The reduction in farmer inputs required to grow our energy beets, translates to a reduction in air emissions, soil compaction and soil erosion, which are all positive for our environment.

Since the beet is approximately 75% water and 16% sugar, our water consumption is neutral.
We use yeast to ferment the beet sugar into ethanol.

- When will the Environmental review process be available to the public and how may I access it?
I do not know when the Environmental review process will be available but once it is, we can forward it to you.

We will forward the response from our seed supplier once we receive it.
Sincerely,
Gary