This January, the members of an industry coalition consisting of companies that produce Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) engineered corn seed outlined an industry version of a unified plan to preserve Bt insecticidal toxins and extend the useful lifetime of crop plants that are engineered to produce these insecticides. Monsanto (St. Louis, MO), Novartis Seeds (Greensboro, NC), Pioneer Hi–Bred (Des Moines, IA), and Mycogen–Dow Agro–Science (Midland, MI) are following the advice, given in June last year, of the members of a scientific panel convened by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, DC) who urged the agency to "require the use of structured refuges" to preserve Bt–producing crops (Nat. Biotechnol. 15:499, 1997). So far, EPA is not insisting on a refuge set–aside, and the industry would prefer to implement a Bt–preservation program on a voluntary basis. Although details are being negotiated, the proposed plan calls for farmers who plant Bt–producing corn seed to set aside 20% of their cropland as refuges in which to plant conventional corn, some of which may be treated with conventional insecticides during the growing season. Because the proposal entails uniform refuge set–asides, it could lead to better compliance by growers because what they need to do to meet this Bt–preservation strategy is straightforward, according to a spokesperson from Monsanto.