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Complete Listing of Pharmaceutical & Industrial Crops
USDA Considers Pharma/Industrial Crop Oversight Changes
The USDA is considering changes to its oversight of genetically engineered crops, including crops grown to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals (pharma/industrial crops). UCS wants USDA to adopt a ban on outdoor production of pharma/industrial substances in food crops due to the potential for food supply contamination.
Rice Contamination a Mystery
USDA cannot account for the contamination of rice supplies with an unapproved variety of genetically engineered (GE) rice. This mystery creates serious questions about the federal government's ability to control potentially more dangerous GE crops, such as those altered to produce drugs and industrial chemicals, using existing regulations.
Companies Ramp up Pharma Production
Two biotech companies are poised to ramp up production of genetically engineered pharmaceutical crops in crops also widely used for human food and animal feed.
PCC article
Article by UCS analyst Karen Perry Stillerman on pharma safflower production in Washington State, reprinted with permission of Sound Consumer, a publication of PCC Natural Markets, Seattle.
UCS Position Paper on Pharma Crops
UCS paper detailing our position on pharmaceutical and industrial crops, including recommendations for actions USDA should take to keep these risky crops from contaminating our food supply.
UCS Uncovers Lax Oversight of Pharma Crops
UCS has obtained agency documents confirming that USDA is still not properly enforcing its pharma crop regulations. In particular, these records document the USDA's apparent failure to adequately monitor and inspect pharmaceutical rice fields in North Carolina—even after a hurricane blew through the area, potentially contaminating a nearby rice breeding facility.
Economics of Pharmaceutical Crops
A 2005 report by Dr. Robert Wisner, Ph.D., professor of economics at Iowa State University, analyzing various claims about the potential benefits and risks of pharmaceutical and industrial crops.
FAQs Pharma Crop Economics
Frequently asked questions about the report, The Economics of Pharmaceutical Crops, by Dr. Robert Wisner, Ph.D.
Pharm and Industrial Crops
This backgrounder on pharmaceutical and industrial crops -- crops that are genetically engineered to produce drugs and industrial chemicals -- discusses the risks and benefits of such crops.
Substances in Pharmaceutical and Industrial Crops
What kinds of substances are being engineered into pharmaceutical and industrial crops? Pharmaceutical, antibodies, vaccines, industrial chemicals, research chemicals, and traits desirable for bioenergy purposes are being engineered in crops grown outdoors.
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© Union of Concerned Scientists
Page Last Revised: 04/30/07 |
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