USDA May Revise Genetic Modification Rules

Story from Inforum.com

Consumers who prefer organic foods, or food free of genetic modification, should know that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering rules that could affect their choices. GM experimentation has been plagued by unauthorized releases of experimental crops, which have then entered the food supply. If this continues, it will be harder and harder for consumers to obtain the foods they want.

One recent example is a variety of GM rice that got into the 2006 Arkansas rice harvest. This particular rice variety was never grown outside USDA-supervised test plots, yet the USDA is unable to explain how it got into the commercial harvest.

Going back to 2005, federal inspectors have issued a series of warnings to the USDA that it needs to improve oversight of GM experiment crops. They have gone unheeded. The 2008 Farm Bill required the USDA to write rules taking into account the federal inspectors’ criticisms. But the USDA’s draft rules not only fail to do so, they actually weaken oversight of GM experiment crops.

Consumers who want to retain a wide range of choices in the food they buy should urge the USDA to set a goal of 100 percent containment of experimental crops.

To express support for farmers who grow crops for organic and non-GM markets, consumers should also urge the USDA to study the economic impact of unauthorized releases of experiment crops.

To submit your comments to USDA, go to this Web site: http://ga3.org/campaign/Aphis3.