| December 9, 2008 |  |
USDA’S Weakened Biotechnology Rules Are Bush Administration's Farewell Gift to Biotech Industry
Weaker Rules Unjustified in Light of Recent Animal Feed Contamination and New GAO Report Urging Stronger USDA Oversight
The Bush administration is pushing through a host of industry-friendly policies before it leaves office. The Interior Department's Fish and Wildlife Service, for instance, is altering a section of the Endangered Species Act to allow oil drilling and other infrastructure projects to move forward on federal lands without consulting biological habitat experts. And, the Department of Labor has proposed a rule that would weaken how the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) calculate on-the-job risk.
Similarly, as a parting gift to the biotechnology industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is rushing to finalize rules that would substantially weaken oversight of genetically engineered crops. The department's actions occur as two events just last week point to the need for the USDA to strengthen – not weaken – its regulations.
Last Friday, December 5, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of the Congress, released a report criticizing the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for regulatory failures that allowed unauthorized genetically engineered crops into the nation's food supply. Since 2000, six known incidents of unapproved genetically engineered crops contaminating the food supply or food crops have been reported. GAO recommended that the three agencies strengthen their oversight to prevent future incidents. (For the GAO report, go to: www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-60.)
Two days before the GAO report release, the same three agencies announced that biotech giant Monsanto had illegally released one of its experimental varieties of genetically engineered cottonseed into the U.S. food system. According to the agencies, Monsanto harvested the unapproved cottonseed in error and allowed it to mix with approved animal feed that food animals have already eaten. (For the agencies' press release, go to: www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2008/12/ge_cotton.shtml.)
The USDA is now finalizing rules that would substantially weaken biotechnology oversight. The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) recently submitted comments on the proposed rules, lambasting the USDA's rulemaking as "a serious abdication of its responsibility" to regulate agricultural biotechnology and ensure genetically engineered crops are produced and used safely. The proposed rule was published in October and the public comment period ended on November 24.
For UCS' press release on last week's cottonseed contamination and criticisms of the USDA's proposed rules, go to: www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/GE-contamination-as-USDA-weakens-rules-0166.html.
The Union of Concerned Scientists puts rigorous, independent science to work to solve our planet's most pressing problems. Joining with citizens across the country, we combine technical analysis and effective advocacy to create innovative, practical solutions for a healthy, safe, and sustainable future.
