In the waning months of the Bush Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a proposal to completely overhaul its regulation of genetically engineered crops, significantly weakening its oversight. The proposed rules would virtually ensure that contamination of organic and conventional crops will become even more frequent, and even excuses the Agency from taking any action to remedy such contamination. The rules would continue to allow the dangerous practice of producing drugs and industrial chemicals in food crops grown in the open environment, and in many cases even allow the biotechnology industry to decide whether their GE crops are regulated at all.
Over four years ago, USDA promised stricter oversight of genetically engineered crops; unfortunately, improvements considered early on have vanished and the regulations have instead become weaker. The proposed rule now has even more gaping holes than the regulations it is replacing, and creates a few new ones as well, resulting in more public exposure to untested and unlabeled genetically engineered foods. Instead of tightening controls to protect the public and the environment from contamination and harm, what USDA has offered further endangers your right to choose the foods you and your family eat and farmers’ right to their chosen livelihoods.
To make matters worse, USDA published the rules before publishing the full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as required by law, and in the absence of public review of the data needed to make regulatory recommendations. Clearly, there is something wrong with this picture. We are calling on the Obama Administration to reject the irresponsible Bush “anything goes” biotech policy, and to put in place rules that will create real change in the regulation and oversight of GE crops. And we are requesting a moratorium on commercial planting of any new GE crops until such comprehensive regulations are in place.
The comment period has been extended to June 29, 2009. Please send your comment to USDA today – the Agency is listening, let’s demand better oversight of GE crops to protect citizens, farmers, wildlife, and the environment!
Filed under: GE Crops, GE Food, Pharm Crops, Politics and Policy, Take Action
Down with the Devil Monsanto and the USDA! Give us REAL food and not these foods like the McDonald’s Hamburgers that last 10 years without deteriorating!
I am just floored by the fact that we allow and have not tested these foods . I dont think the FDA is run by the government anymore. There are hormones in everything we eat. Genetically altered foods. I see my 8 year girl and her classmates starting to develop breasts and pubic hair. This is not what nature was programmed to do. TOO MANY HORMONES IN OUR FOOD> I am 40 years old and starting menopause. This is not normal for my family tree. Obesity is a plague on our nation now. Come on seriously. It dosent take a rocket scientist to see that what we put in our bodies as fuel is poisoning us. And our Government is allowing it to happen. Breast cancer now hitting women in their 20′s?? Ingesting hormones that are not safe and were not tested FULLY… I am sad for America and what is has become. The corporations run and pull the stings now. The Europeans have the right attitude.-If you cannot prove it will not hurt our bodies, do not put it in our food. Answer me why Europe, Japan, England and others will not allow genetically altered seeds in their country? Or our hormone laced milk? Or our Hormone and antibiotic saturated Beef? Geez. does it REALLY take a rocket scientist> Its a sad sick road we heading down. Money , money , money
Most conventional processed food are already genetically modified, which includes meat which eat feed lot foods –genetically modified corn and soya.
Organic will become contaminated by micro-organisms, beneficial insects, bees, flies and other pollinators as well as the wind –all of which carries GMO DNA to organic fields.
Already farmers are feeling the pinch as their crops are becoming contaminated, and dairy farmers cannot find enough food for their herds. Hence, Organic Valley is cutting back. Hood milk has also cut out the market for organic dairy. Monsanto no doubt pressuring wholesalers and retailers.
In Europe, New Zealand, Japan people have become involved and taken action, repeatedly. We can do. But, this is a repetitive process.
In Louisiana, Monsanto legislation was passed several years ago that took away our rights to learn how our food is grown. Farmers cannot tell and consumers cannot talk.
Monsanto makes glyphosate (active ingredient) for Roundup in Luling, Louisiana over near New Orleans along the Mississippi River. One may think that our President would come to the aid of the poor black people that live long the river, but he doesn’t seem to act unless their is a groundswell. The grass roots efforts must make this happen!
Save our organic agriculture. Participate in the process.
Go to: http://ga3.org/campaign/Aphis3
and put your comments into the record
before June 29, 2009. Use the talking points. Or at least type in your name, address, city, state and zip, as well as email address and put the talking points as written into the record! They are that important!!!!
Thanks.
Thank you!!!
We, farmers and consumers and our children and their children in the US now have no choice as to what foods we eat, because of silence and hiding of information concerning genetically modified foods, because neither FDA nor DoA have not demanded real testing and research that would regulate these commercial corporations which seek to control life without responsibility. Human health, animal health, insect life, and food of traditional and organic produce (and whatever they want to engineer next) are threatened. This is pollution in the seed and in the soil, the heart of all nature. The energies of nature are already compromised with pollutants laid on exteriorly. At best this is shortsighted and blind. At worst, it is the ultimate in human greed. No, No, No!
Wake up and stop the GM foods flooding into our market, it will effect even you. You want health care than you must stop illness where it starts with GM FOODS, say NO< NO <NO
Our FDA is not working to help us, GM Foods is keeping American unhealthy, if you will vote with your health and not your pocketbooks, we would all be better, including you and your families.
We are the consumers. We have a right to choose whether or not we want to eat genetically modified foods. In order for us to make a well informed decision about our food we need it to be labeled. Corporations should not be allowed to force products on the public that we do not want.
Thank You
[...] regulation of genetically modified crops, dangerously weakening its oversight. Fortunately, the public comment period for the proposal has been extended to June 29th (this Monday!), so you still have a chance to demand [...]
Governments all over the world are spending billions of dollars on climate change. If they just stopped the big chemical companies from making billions, they could save all the taxpayers money. All the chemical runoffs eventually end up in the oceans, destroying all the corals etc, and damaging our echo system along the way. The chemicals end up in our foods, causing all the obesity cancers etc that we now see in our world of today, but didn’t see 50 or 60 years ago.
Stop genetically modified foods before they stop you.
There is an overwhelming amount of evidence that GE foods are not safe. They have high toxic residues, create or alter proteins in the food which can cause severe allergies, lead to antibiotic resistance, and have been linked to 65 serious health risks. They have not lowered the use of herbacides, rather have increased the need for it ,as weeds become resistant. Super weeds are being formed, and animals are dying from eating GM soy, and people are dying near sprayed farms. GE crops are destroying the environment and human health.
Monsanto has way too much power, and it’s time for us to take that power back.
We demand a better food supply than this. Health care reform starts with food that doesn’t cause disease.
Ask yourself, have you poisoned yourself and your children this week? Yes, you have- if you ate or fed them nearly any food that contains soya, corn. And I bet you did.
I totaly agree with Jean Johnson. Our health, environment and for long ran lives are in danger if we will be producing and eating GMO products.
How long before we know whether the agency has acted on the proposed rule?
Thanks.