USDA: Support farmers, not Monsanto
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- Published on Tuesday, 19 April 2016 14:45
- Written by editor
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Tell USDA to protect farmer livelihood & community health Dear Paov,
What have genetically engineered (GE) crops brought us in the past 20 years? Superweeds, pesticide drift and widespread use of glyphosate — an herbicide recently classified as a “probable carcinogen.”
These crops were allowed on the market without full consideration of their impacts — and too much weight given to what works for corporations like Monsanto, instead of what works for farmers.
Right now, we have a chance to push for stronger GE rules!
Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) kicked off a process to shift how they regulate GE crops. The agency recently released an initial set of proposed changes — and they’re not good.
Speak up before the comment period closes in two days!
USDA is the key agency charged with oversight of GE crops, along with the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. But the process lacks coordination and is full of gaps, putting GE seeds on the market and into fields without accounting for real-world impacts on farmer livelihoods, community health or the environment.
It’s time to get real about GE crops.
For too long, regulators have relied on input from Monsanto and the rest of the “Big 6” corporations when approving new GE seeds. And with these new rules now under consideration, the corporations are pressing hard for a system that works best for shareholders — rather than what works for farmers and our food system as a whole.
USDA needs to hear from you today! Before the comment period closes on Thursday, tell the agency we need strong, mandatory policies that protect farmer livelihoods, healthy communities and the environment.
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