Posted January 8, 2014
Last week, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) recommended the deregulation of genetically engineered (GE)
corn and soybean plants while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducts
risk assessments to decide on the approval process of new uses for the 2,4-D
herbicide, according to the APHIS news release available here.
APHIS released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) as part of its review to determine whether to deregulate the GE corn and
soybean plants that are resistant to several herbicides, one of which is
2,4-D. The DEIS will be available for
public review and comment for 45 days from the date of publication in the
Federal Register. The DEIS documents are
available here.
The GE corn and soybean plants are part of the Dow
AgroSciences’ Enlist Weed Control System.
Currently, the seeds can only be used in control field tests, according
to an article by Ag Week available here.
Deregulation of the seeds would provide an additional
option to farmers concerned about increased weed resistance to glyphosate.
Environmental groups, on the other hand, criticized
USDA’s announcement, saying that 2,4-D “has been associated with Parkinson’s
disease and reproductive problems, among other things.” The Center for Food Policy said Enlist would
“increase the use of toxic pesticides in industrial agriculture while providing
absolutely no benefit to consumers.”
The comment period begins on Jan. 10.
For more information on biotechnology and pesticides,
please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here
and here.
