Obama Admin. Approves Monsanto Mutant Corn
Despite receiving nearly 45,000 public comments in opposition and only 23 comments in favor, the Obama administration gave Monsanto the green light to release its newest genetically engineered (GE) corn variety freely into the environment and American food supply, without any governmental oversight or safety tracking.
Over the holidays, the USDA announced its approval of a novel strain of GE corn Monsanto claims is “drought tolerant.”
The USDA also opened a 60-day public comment period for two petitions. One is for Monsanto’s GE soybean containing higher levels of an omega-3 fatty acid that does not naturally occur in soybeans. The other is from Dow AgroSciences for corn that has been genetically engineered to better resist the poisonous herbicide 2,4-D, a key ingredient in the “Agent Orange” used to defoliate forests and croplands in the Vietnam War.
“The concern is that, just like Monsanto’s genetically engineered corn that is resistant to RoundUp™ (glyphosate) herbicide, the approval of a cultivar resistant to 2,4-D will cause an exponential increase in the use of this toxic agrichemical,” Mark Kastel of The Cornucopia Institute stated.
Citizens can comment on the proposed approval of Dow’s 2,4-D tolerant corn and Monsanto’s stearidonic acid soybeans until February 27, 2012.
An online petition opposing Dow’s 2,4-D corn variety, which will be sent to President Obama and USDA Secretary Vilsack, can be signed here.
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