In a decision that prompted the promise of an immediate legal challenge, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that it will grant nonregulated status to genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa. According to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, “After conducting a thorough and transparent examination of alfalfa through a multi-alternative environmental impact statement (EIS) and several public comment opportunities, APHIS [the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service] has determined that Roundup Ready alfalfa is as safe as traditionally bred alfalfa.” The agency’s Record of Decision concludes that “alfalfa events J101 and J163 do not pose a greater plant pest risk than other conventional alfalfa varieties.” The House Agriculture Committee conducted a public forum January 20, 2011, to discuss matters relating to the USDA’s anticipated action on GE alfalfa’s deregulation. The agency had proposed several options, including partially deregulating GE alfalfa and establishing isolation distances and geographic limits on where the crop is…
Tag Archives GMO
Three congressional Republicans assert that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has no authority to weigh economic factors in conducting an environmental review for genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Plant Protection Act. In a January 19, 2011, letter submitted to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, they vilify him for including an option that would impose geographic restrictions and isolation distances on the crop. House Agriculture Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) and Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) contend that the option was included in the final environmental impact statement (EIS) solely “to interfere in planting decisions based on the risk of economic harm due to pollen drift.” According to the congressmen, the option “is a poor substitute for existing options available to farmers to amicably resolve the concerns regarding co-existence of agriculture biotechnology, conventional and organic crops.” They also claim that “the implications…
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has reportedly voted to amend its policy on the expiration of genetically modified (GM) crop patents, calling on industry to develop “a protocol for biotech crops before coming off patent.” With patents set to expire for more than 24 GM varieties in coming years, the 6-million member farmers’ coalition has evidently asked industry to craft a plan aimed at avoiding shortages or trade disruptions. AFBF delegates at an Atlanta, Georgia, meeting apparently discussed grower and seed group concerns about whether generic seed versions will be available and accepted by other nations. “There just needs to be a way to deal with it,” said AFBF Director of International Policy Rosemarie Watkins. See Reuters, January 13, 2011.
WikiLeaks, which has made its reputation by placing otherwise unavailable documents on the Internet, has released a December 2010 cable from the U.S. Embassy in Paris in which the ambassador expresses concerns about European action on genetically modified (GM) crops. The cable calls for the preparation of a retaliation list of those countries opposing GM crops to “make clear that the current path has real costs to EU interests and could help strengthen European pro-biotech voices.” According to the cable, “the pro-biotech side in France— including within the farm union—have told us that retaliation is the only way to begin to turn this issue in France.” The cable notes that legislation currently pending before the French National Assembly and Senate “could make any biotech planting impossible in practical terms. The law would make farmers and seed companies legally liable for pollen drift and sets the stage for inordinately large cropping…
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reportedly issued a temporary stay of a district court order mandating the destruction of 256 acres of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beet seedlings that were, according to the lower court, planted illegally in September 2010. Ctr. for Food Safety v. Vilsack, No. 10-04038 (N.D. Cal., decided November 30, 2010). Press sources indicate that the Ninth Circuit’s postponement is scheduled to expire December 23, when the court will either allow the crop destruction to proceed or extend the stay until it can thoroughly review an appeal from the lower court order granting the plaintiffs’ motion to remedy violations of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by pulling the seedlings out of the ground. The seedlings were being grown to produce seed for future Roundup Ready® sugar beet crops, which are resistant to glyphosate, an ingredient in a popular herbicide. GE sugar beet critics contend…
Saying the European Union’s (EU’s) citizen initiative procedure, created under the Lisbon Treaty, is “not yet valid,” EU Health Commissioner John Dalli has reportedly dismissed on procedural grounds the submission of 1.03 million citizens taking part in a campaign to compel the European Commission (EC) to prohibit genetically modified (GM) crops until an “independent ethical, scientific body” assesses their impact. This first effort to activate the Lisbon pact’s rules allowing one million citizens to propose legislation was apparently initiated in May 2010 after the EC decided to grant the first EU GM cultivation approval. According to one of the organizations responsible for the anti-GM campaign, “European citizens have given the Commission more than a million reasons to listen to the public and act with precaution rather than cave to the private interests of a handful of GM companies who are influencing Europe’s agricultural future.” Dalli indicated that he would take…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reportedly been asked by a Canadian biotechnology company to approve its genetically modified (GM) apple, which resists browning after it is sliced. The British Columbia-based company apparently licensed the non-browning technology from an Australian company that developed it for potatoes. Approval of the GM technology could take several years, and U.S. apple growers have reportedly expressed concerns about cross-pollination with conventional apple trees as well as the cost of replanting apple groves with the “Arctic” apples, a figure estimated at $10,000 to $20,000 per acre. Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, criticized the proposal, apparently claiming, “A botox apple is not what people are looking for. I’m predicting failure.” Yet, the sliced apple market has increased in recent years, with suppliers relying on calcium and ascorbic acid to maintain product freshness. The company seeking the GM apple’s approval claims that the…
According to a news source, senators representing the Independent and Australian Greens parties have introduced legislation that would require food products to be labeled if they contain genetically modified (GM) material, regardless of amount or how it came to be incorporated in the product. The “Food Standards Amendment (Truth in Labelling—Genetically Modified Material) Bill 2010” would require Food Standards Australia New Zealand to develop labeling standards and establish due diligence guidelines for products claiming to be GM free. Debate on the proposal was adjourned. Senator Nick Xenophon (I) said on introducing the bill, “Not enough Australians seem to realize the implications that the rapid introduction of genetically modified materials may have on our health and potentially on our ability to produce safe foods and foods free from GM contamination. Truth in labeling is vital to enable Australian consumers to have an informed choice about the food they eat and the…
According to media sources, the EU Council of Ministers’ Legal Service has expressed “strong doubts” about the feasibility of a proposal that would allow individual member states to set their own policies for regulating genetically modified (GM) crops. The opinion has reportedly raised questions about whether the legislation would violate World Trade Organization rules, especially since a GM crop ban based on ethical rather than environmental or health concerns would be difficult to uphold in European courts. An EU official has quoted the opinion, which was due to be officially presented on November 11, as saying that, “Economic arguments cannot be relied upon . . . so the obvious remaining candidate would therefore be ethical reasons.” Also referring to this “leaked” legal opinion, the Institute for Environmental Studies at the VU University Amsterdam has hailed the report as validating the views of its own biotechnology law specialist, Thijs Etty. “This…
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has introduced a bill (H.R. 6325) that would require labeling for food that contains genetically engineered (GE) animal products. The Consumer Right to Know Food Labeling Act of 2010 would amend the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and Meat Inspection Act to compel the disclosure of product ingredients derived from cloned animals or their progeny. It would also mandate labeling for food products that contain GE salmon. In addition to providing for civil penalties and citizen suits in the event of misbranded food, the bill would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to develop and implement a recordkeeping audit trail applicable to “any person that prepares, stores, handles, or distributes a cloned product for retail sale.” “A recent Food & Water Watch survey revealed that 78 percent of Americans do not want genetically-engineered salmon to be approved and made available…
