Pegi & ST List, This is an important issue that the Union of Concerned Scientists has taken up in a campaign to alert lawmakers about this very risky enterprise. The full text of the proposed regulations may be found at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-23584.pdf
If you go to the UCS website, www.ucsusa.org, or contact Jennifer Palembas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I'm writing a statement about the risks this ag project exposes our food supply to. best Tony Del Plato On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 8:33 PM, Pegi Ficken <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > I've taken the liberty of forwarding this. I haven't seen it discussed > here, but it doesn't seem too sustainable to me. > Pegi> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Wed, 19 Nov > 2008 16:28:06 -0800> Subject: [Odairy] Fwd: USDA Rushing Through Dangerous > New Rules on GE and Pharmaceutical Crops> > I know we all have a ton on our > plate with the NOP livestock rule and many> other things, but this one > (deadline for comments Monday) is extremely> important. Perhaps it is only a > coincidence that the long-delayed timing of> the NOP livestock grazing rule > proposal means that we are> pre-occupied precisely in time for this > rulemaking on GMOs to go more under> the radar. In any case, we can't just > let this one go by.> > <http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/>> > USDA > Rushing Through Dangerous New Rules on GE and Pharmaceutical Crops> > > Greetings,> > In the waning months of the Bush administration, the U.S. > Department of> Agriculture (USDA) has joined the ranks of federal agencies > rushing through> new regulations that weaken protections for human health > and the> environment. *USDA has released a proposed rule that would > significantly> weaken oversight of all genetically engineered crops, and > which continue to> allow companies to grow food crops engineered to produce > drugs and> industrial chemicals.*> > The USDA began this process over four > years ago by promising stricter> oversight. Unfortunately, improvements > considered early on have been> dismissed, and *the proposed rule now has the > same gaping holes as the> policy it is replacing, and creates a few new > ones, as well. For instance:*> > * USDA has created a huge loophole allowing > biotech companies to assess> their own crops to determine whether USDA > should regulate them. And the> criteria are open-ended, very subjective, and > will certainly reduce USDA's> oversight of GE crops.> > * The proposed rules > could also allow companies to grow untested GE crops> with no oversight > whatsoever: "Over time, the range of GE organisms subject> to oversight is > expected to decrease...," a move which USDA itself admits> will make > contamination of conventional/organic crops with untested GE> material more > likely.> > * To add insult to injury, USDA has proposed to write into law > its "Low> Level Presence" policy, which excuses it from taking any action to > remove> untested GE crops from conventional or organic food, feed and seed. > This> contamination often occurs through cross-pollination or seed > dispersal, and> has cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost > sales and lowered> profits.> > * USDA rejected options that would have > banned outdoor cultivation of> pharmaceutical-producing GE (food) crops, the > only way to ensure that> untested drugs don't end up in our food, despite > strong support from> citizens and the food industry.> > * USDA has refused > to propose any controls on pesticide-promoting GE crops,> despite increasing > pesticide use and an epidemic of resistant weeds that> have been fostered by > these crops.> > * Finally, USDA snuck in a last-minute "correction" that > bars state or local> regulation of GE crops more protective than its own > weak rule. CFS strongly> opposes such preemptive language that would bar > local or state authorities> from putting meaningful regulations or > restrictions on GE crops in place> that best suit their communities. This > last-minute change should be cause to> extend the public comment period.> > > The USDA is treading dangerous new ground here. The structure of the new> > proposal opens loopholes that can be exploited by biotech companies and> > expose consumers to more untested and unlabeled genetically engineered> > foods.> > *After denying requests for an extension to the short comment > period given> for the proposed rules, USDA's comment period closes on > Monday. Sign our> petition to the USDA today and demand stronger—not > weaker—regulations for> genetically engineered crops!*> > > > [image: Sign > this petition]<http://ga3.org/campaign/GMOregs/wedx7xsry7kiixxt?>> > Sign > this petition :> > Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023> Regulatory Analysis and > Development> PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8> 4700 River Road Unit 118> > Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.> > Re: Docket No. APHIS-2008-0023, Importation, > Interstate Movement, and> Release into the Environment of Certain> > Genetically Engineered Organisms.> > I am very concerned about the risks > genetically engineered crops--especially> those engineered to produce drugs > and industrial chemicals--pose to human> health, family farmers, wildlife, > and the environment. I urge USDA to close> the gaping loopholes in its > proposed rules, and put stronger--not> weaker--regulations in place. In > particular:> > 1)Please follow the advice of the National Academy of > Sciences and make> genetic engineering the trigger for USDA oversight so > that ALL experimental> GE crops are properly regulated. This approach is > scientifically sound,> administratively efficient, and more protective of > public health, the> environment, and the interests of farmers. Eliminate > loopholes that exempt> any GE crop that has not undergone a determination of > non-regulated status> from USDA regulatory oversight.> > 2)Please do NOT > incorporate the "Low Level Presence"> policy in the final rule. Instead, > make zero presence of> experimental GE crops in food and feed your > management goal, and gear your> implementing regulations to achieve it as > fully as possible. In particular,> make all field trials of experimental GE > crops subject to strict gene> containment standards at least as stringent as > those now applied to> pharmaceutical-producing GE crops.> > 3)Please > reconsider your "business as usual" pharma crop policy, and instead> adopt > one of two alternatives you proposed in the Draft Environmental Impact> > Statement - a simple ban on outdoor cultivation of all> > pharmaceutical-producing crops, or at least pharmaceutical-producing food> > crops - to best protect public health and the environment.> > 4)Please > regulate as necessary pesticide-promoting,> herbicide-tolerant GE crops in > order to address the rise in pesticide use> these crops have fostered, and > to mitigate the growing threat posed by> herbicide-resistant weeds to > farmers and the interests of American> agriculture.> > 5)Remove any > preemption clause that bars state and local authorities from> enacting laws > or regulations to control GE crops as they best see fit.> [image: Sign this > petition]<http://ga3.org/campaign/GMOregs/wedx7xsry7kiixxt?>> > Sign this > Petition!> > Instructions:> Sign this petition < > http://ga3.org/campaign/GMOregs/wedx7xsry7kiixxt?>> > Tell-A-Friend:> > Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this.> Tell-a-Friend! > <http://ga3.org/campaign/GMOregs/forward/wedx7xsry7kiixxt?>> > What's At > Stake:> > > > > Campaign Expiration Date:> November 25, 2008> > > ------------------------------> > If you received this message from a > friend, you can sign up for Center for> Food Safety < > http://ga3.org/cfs/join.html?r=fpLxgS9qHeHSE>.> > This message was sent to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] Visit your subscription management> page < > http://ga3.org/cfs/smp.tcl?nkey=wedx7xsry7kiixxt&;> to modify your> email > communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL> > email from Center for Food Safety, click to> remove< > http://ga3.org/cfs/remove-domain-direct.tcl?ctx=center&nkey=wedx7xsry7kiixxt&;>yourself> > from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in> the > subject line).> > <http://www.convio.com/>> > > > -- > Mark Lipson> Senior > Policy Analyst> Organic Farming Research Foundation> 831-426-6606 x109> > www.ofrf.org> > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]> > > > ------------------------------------> > Post message: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > List owner: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To visit your group on the web, go to:> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Odairy/> > Yahoo! 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