XPost: alt.politics.usa, sac.politics, misc.survivalism   
   XPost: talk.politics.guns   
   From: morons@barackobama.com   
      
   The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday signed off on a new   
   genetically modified type of corn developed by Monsanto Co after   
   a review concluded it posed no significant threat to   
   agricultural crops, other plants or the environment.   
      
   The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)   
   announced it would deregulate Monsanto's MON 87411 maize, which   
   was developed to protect plants against corn rootworms that can   
   damage roots and drag down grain yields and be tolerant to the   
   herbicide glyphosate.   
      
   The so-called trait would be inserted into a line of corn seeds'   
   genetic code and could be "stacked" with other traits.   
      
   Glyphosate, which the World Health Organization has said is   
   "probably" linked to cancer, is the active weed-killing   
   ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and other herbicides produced   
   by farm chemical companies.   
      
   The agency's move is a step in the multiyear process of   
   commercializing genetically engineered seed traits. Other steps   
   include assessments by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,   
   the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulators in   
   other countries.   
      
   The EPA's review is still ongoing. The agency's scientific   
   advisory panel has raised red flags on the issue, however, and   
   criticized weak guidelines in assessing the risks of such   
   biotechnology, said Doug Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist at   
   advocacy group the Center for Food Safety. Among their concerns:   
   better understanding the impact on pollinators like bees and   
   other insects.   
      
   Monsanto is planning a full commercial launch of its SmartStax   
   PRO, a line of products featuring MON 87411 maize, by the end of   
   the decade pending necessary regulatory approvals, the company   
   said in a statement.   
      
   Separately, APHIS said Friday it was extending the comment   
   period for a genetically-engineered corn trait developed by   
   Syngenta Seeds Inc., a unit of Syngenta AG, for 30 days.   
      
   Syngenta's genetically engineered MZHG0JG corn is resistant to   
   glyphosate and glufosinate – an herbicide combination the   
   company says will expand options for farmers battling the   
   growing problem of weed resistance, but one that critics say   
   will fuel the problem.   
      
   As of 2014, there were 14 different glyphosate-resistant weed   
   species and one resistant to glufosinate, according to the   
   USDA's preliminary findings of the Syngenta petition. The risk   
   of herbicide-resistant weed development will be ever present   
   where herbicides are used, the assessment added.   
      
   Syngenta could not be immediately reached for comment.   
      
   The regulatory moves come amid increased scrutiny of glyphosate   
   following a report issued in March by the World Health   
   Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer that   
   said it can "probably" cause cancer.   
      
   Monsanto and others have challenged the report's findings, but   
   the controversy continues.   
      
   California environmental officials have announced plans to list   
   the herbicide as cancer-causing, a move Monsanto is trying to   
   block. The company recently told state regulators that such   
   actions could be considered illegal because they are not   
   considering valid scientific evidence.   
      
   Monsanto is also facing mounting litigation over the issue as   
   law firms representing U.S. farm workers have filed lawsuits   
   against the company, accusing it of knowing of the dangers of   
   glyphosate for decades.   
      
   Monsanto said the claims are without merit.   
      
   http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/23/us-usa-monsanto-gmo-   
   idUSKCN0SH2HR20151023   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)