Archive for the 'Genetic Engineering' Category
19
Jul
Image: EneasMx, CC-BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons (Beyond Pesticides, July 19, 2024) Former mayor of Mexico City and climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum, PhD was elected President of Mexico on June 2, making her the first female and Jewish citizen to hold the highest political office in the nation. She will be inaugurated on October 1, 2024. Dr. Sheinbaumâs ascension to the presidency comes at a time of increasing pressure from the United States government to acquiesce to its demands to open agricultural markets to genetically engineered (GE) crops (particularly corn) and the use of the carcinogenic weed killer glyphosate. With the formal review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) approaching in 2026, Mexico will soon decide under Dr. Sheinbaumâs leadership whether it will be an international stalwart against the unfettered spread of GE corn amidst pressure from the U.S. Trade Representative and as industry continues to enable the cascading crises of the climate emergency, public health crisis, and biodiversity collapse. With new administrations in the United Kingdom and France, and the upcoming election in the U.S., how governments around the world, independently and collectively, choose to seriously confront or soft-pedal the existential environmental crises will determine the livability of […]
Posted in Drift, Genetic Engineering, Glyphosate, International, Uncategorized, United Nations | No Comments »
10
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 10, 2024) Expanding the planting of genetically engineered crops is the major focus of âThe Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology â Plan for Regulatory Reform under the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnologyâ (Framework), released in May by three federal agencies. In its Framework, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) use the words âexemptâ or âexemptionâ in reference to federal safety regulations 21 times. Then, another 21 times the agencies identify their efforts to âstreamlineâ the process for bringing genetically engineered âplant-incorporated protectantsâ (PIPs) to market. Without including the word âresistanceâ even once, the Framework advances the interests of the biotech and allied industries, ignoring the serious scientific issues regarding health and environmental effects and the economic failure for farmers facing crop loss. Meanwhile, the issue of resistance is not new to EPA, which has for years acknowledged the resistance problem despite allowing continued weed resistance to weed killers used with herbicide-tolerant crops and insect resistance to the pesticides incorporated into plants.  >> Tell USDA, FDA, and EPA to replace agricultural provisions in the Framework with policies that discourage GE crops […]
Posted in Agriculture, Congress, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Genetic Engineering, Plant Incorporated Protectants, Resistance, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
04
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 4, 2024) A study published in the most recent edition of the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety documents for the first time the presence of the herbicide glyphosate in human sperm. The study looked at 128 French men with an average age of 36 years who tested positive for glyphosate in their blood. Seventy-three out of the 128 men were found to also have glyphosate in their seminal plasma. Not only that, the amount of glyphosate in seminal plasma was nearly four times higher than what was detected in the blood.  Methods The study involved a population of 128 infertile French men from whom seminal and blood plasma samples were collected. The study was conducted at the “Pole SantĂŠ LĂŠonard de Vinci” medical center, located centrally near Tours, France. This region is recognized for its urban characteristics as well as being a major agricultural hub, particularly for grain and wine production. The study authors note, âThis area reflects the common herbicide exposure in Franceâ and the district ranks third highest in terms of pesticide purchases. While additional qualitative data was collected, only 47 of 128 participants fully completed a questionnaire about their profession, diet (organic or […]
Posted in 2,4-D, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), Antibiotic, Bayer, behavioral and cognitive effects, Birth defects, Chemicals, Developmental Disorders, Dicamba, Disease/Health Effects, DNA Damage, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Glyphosate, Groundwater, Gut Dysbiosis, Herbicides, Infertility, Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), IQ Loss, Kidney failure, Lawns/Landscapes, Leukemia, Litigation, Liver Damage, Lymphoma, men's health, Miscarriage, Monsanto, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Oxidative Stress, Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, PFAS, Reproductive Health, synergistic effects, Uncategorized, World Health Organization | No Comments »
31
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 31, 2024) Among the many promises that have been made by agribusiness to farmers and consumers, the glories of crops genetically engineered (GE) to resist pests stand out. GE toolsâgenesâwere touted as ânatural,â and promised to reduce the use of toxic pesticides. The first such plants incorporating DNA or RNA from other organisms hit the market in the 1990s. Today more than 70% of all GE organisms are engineered to tolerate herbicides, and the overwhelming majority of corn, soybean and cotton varieties are engineered to to be toxic to insects. See Beyond Pesticidesâ backgrounder on GE here. Despite a dramatic increase in the use of herbicides and the fast development of weed and insect resistance to plant incorporated pesticides, this month the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly released a document entitled âThe Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology â Plan for Regulatory Reform under the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology.â It responds to a 2022 executive order by President Biden to âaccelerate biotechnology innovationâ and âsupport the safe use of biotechnology productsâ by using a âscience- and risk-based, predictable, efficient, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Bayer, Dow Chemical, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Genetic Engineering, Syngenta, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | 1 Comment »
29
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 29, 2024) A study from the Academy of Biology and Biotechnologies and the Federal Rostov Agricultural Research Centre adds to the body of science linking pesticide use with negative impacts on soil health and bacterial communities. Antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs), considered a class of pollutants, are found in certain types of bacteria and can spread through the environment and subsequently to humans and animals. This study, performed by researchers and soil experts, found an increase in specific bacterial families that host ARGs with exposure to pesticides. The study aims to identify the role of agricultural soils in ARG transfer and to assess the presence and prevalence of bacterial families with and without exposure to fertilizers and pesticides. Since soil serves as a habitat for a wide range of bacteria, including many that are resistant to antibiotics, analyzing the organisms within soil samples is an indicator of overall environmental health. Agricultural soils are essential in food production, and as this study states, â[I]ntensive exploitation of such soils implies the widespread use of various chemical plant protection products (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides) and mineral fertilizers, which contribute to pollution and a decrease in soil quality.â  Within this field study, there is […]
Posted in Agriculture, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Fertilizer, Litigation, Mutagenesis, Resistance, soil health, Soil microbiome | No Comments »
20
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2024)Â (Beyond Pesticides, May 20, 2024) The Republican Farm Bill draft in the U.S. House of Representatives, released on Friday, May 17, is a broad attack on pesticide restrictions and the right to sue chemical manufacturers and allied users of pesticides when harmed. âThis legislation is a complete nonstarter for the millions of people who want stronger pesticide restrictions, democratic decision making on toxic chemicals in communities, and the right to sue manufacturers and pesticide users when harmed and misled on the hazards of pesticides,â said Jay Feldman, executive director. âWe vehemently oppose this Republican legislation with the understanding and experienceâbridging farmers, medical practitioners, land managers, local policy makers, and familiesâthat we can and must transition to safe practices and products that protect our health, biodiversity, and climate,â Mr. Feldman continued. The Farm Bill attack takes place on many critical fronts. The draft legislation: 1. Takes away the right to sue for failure to warn when harmed by pesticides. The language says: âprohibit. . .a court from directly or indirectly imposing or continuing in effect any requirements for, or penalize or hold liable any entity for failing to comply with requirements with respect to, labeling or […]
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farm Bill, Genetic Engineering, Litigation, Preemption, Take Action, Uncategorized | No Comments »
08
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 8, 2024) When Mexico in 2020 decided to protect its traditional varieties of corn for reasons of health, safety, environmental protection, and food sovereignty with the banning of the importation of genetically engineered (GE or GM-genetically modified) corn by 2024, the powerful biotech industry and the U.S. government began a concerted campaign to stop the countryâs efforts. With the opposition spearheaded by BIO, âthe worldâs largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nationsâ (as described in its March 15 press release), including companies like Bayer/Monsanto, the U.S government is calling Mexicoâs action a trade barrier. The U.S. is invoking the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade agreement that replaced the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020. This is just one of the latest examples of corporate power reigning over U.S. environmental and economic policies. Mexico has already announced a delay in the planned April 1 ban on the importation, production, distribution, and use of glyphosate. Interestingly, this is all happening despite reports that the Biden administration is seeking to âtackle corporate abuses,â which is apparently limited to tax reform and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Contamination, Genetic Engineering, International, Take Action, U.S. Trade Representative, Uncategorized | No Comments »
20
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 20, 2024) A report by CBAN unpacks the ecosystem and wildlife health impacts of genetically engineered (GE) corn in the context of Mexicoâs 2023 decision to stop its importation into the country. The phase out of genetically modified (GM) corn imports into Mexico was immediately challenged by the U.S. and Canadian governments as a trade violation under the 2020 U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as the primary vehicle for North American trade policy. In August 2023, the U.S. Trade Representative set up a dispute settlement panel under USMCA to stop Mexico from going forward with its ban. There has been no public update from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as of this writing. The CBAN report highlights the scientific rationale underpinning Mexicoâs decision to âsafeguard the integrity of native corn from GM contamination and to protect human healthâ with this ban. In 2020, Mexico announced a four-year phase-out of the weed killer glyphosate, which along with other petrochemical herbicides is integral to GM corn production. When Mexicoâs Minister of the Environment announced the phase-out, he said it is part of an effort to transform the countryâs food system […]
Posted in Contamination, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, International, Pesticide Drift, Pollinators, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
05
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 5, 2024) Buried in a court decision in February that determined that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the law in allowing harm associated with the herbicide dicambaâs registration is language that permits the damages to continue through this yearâs growing season. The judgeâs ruling, deferring to EPAâs interpretation of the existing stock provision in the federal pesticide law, continues a pattern of âexisting stockâ allowances that permit hazards to continue well after a finding of harm or noncompliance. This process contrasts with the issuance of a product recall, which is typically done when pharmaceuticals are found to violate safety standards. Despite the finding of dicambaâs harm and EPAâs failure to comply with standards, the continued use of the weed killer through the 2024 growing season is effectively authorized in a decision of the U.S. District Court of Arizona, which vacates the EPAâs 2021 authorization of the use of three over-the-top (OTT) uses of dicamba-based herbicide products. In response, EPA issued an existing stocks order. EPAâs pattern of allowing the use of existing stocks has long been a concern for public health and environmental advocates, who have called for the discontinuance of use upon findings of […]
Posted in Dicamba, Drift, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Herbicides, Litigation, Uncategorized | No Comments »
13
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 13, 2024)Â Last week, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona struck down the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyâs (EPA) 2021 approval of three dicamba-based herbicides. This is the second lawsuit since 2020 to call out EPAâs violation to both the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to authorize the use of over-the-top (OTT) dicamba-based herbicide products from Bayer and other petrochemical pesticide companies. This rejection of dicamba-based herbicides fuels advocatesâ push for stronger regulatory actions by EPA for all petrochemical pesticides and their push for the more widespread adoption of organic practices that do not use these chemicals. The case was filed by Center for Food Safety (CFS), Center for Biological Diversity, National Family Farm Coalition, and Pesticide Action Network North America. Beyond Pesticides has covered the dicamba tragedy for years, including the EPAÂ Office of the Inspector Generalâs critical 2021 report, EPA Deviated from its Typical Procedures in Its 2018 Dicamba Pesticide Registration Decision. The report identifies EPAâs abandonment of science and assault on agency integrity. In addition to citing adverse impact on nontarget crops and the environment, the Court zeroes in on EPAâs failure to adequately manage […]
Posted in Arizona, Dicamba, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Herbicides, Office of Inspector General, Pesticide Drift, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
19
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 19, 2023) Last week, farmworker organizations and Beyond Pesticides, represented by the Center for Food Safety, filed a petition with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging that the weed killer glyphosate be removed from the market. The petition cites 200 studies, which represent a fraction of the independent scientific literature on the hazards of glyphosate and formulation ingredients of glyphosate products. This action follows previous litigation in 2022 in which a federal court of appeals struck down EPAâs human health assessment, finding that the agency wrongfully dismissed glyphosateâs cancer risk. The farmworker groups petitioning include Farmworker Association of Florida, OrganizaciĂłn en California de Lideres Campesinas, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, and the Rural Coalition.  Meanwhile, verdicts against glyphosateâs manufacturer, Bayer, continue to pile up with a December jury verdict in Pennsylvania awarding $3.5 million and a November jury in Missouri ordering $1.56 billion to be paid to four plaintiffs. All link their cancer to use of the Roundup. Bayer has lost almost all of the cases filed against it for compensation and punitive damages associated with plaintiffsâ charge that its product (previously manufactured by Monsanto) caused them harm. The petition summarizes its purpose and justification as […]
Posted in Alternatives/Organics, Announcements, Antibiotic Resistance, Antimicrobial, Aquatic Organisms, Bayer, Birth defects, Cancer, Chemicals, Disease/Health Effects, Endocrine Disruption, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Farmworkers, Genetic Engineering, Glyphosate, Groundwater, Gut Dysbiosis, Herbicides, Label Claims, Lawns/Landscapes, Litigation, Liver Damage, Microbiata, Microbiome, Monsanto, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Pesticide Efficacy, Pesticide Mixtures, Pesticide Regulation, Pesticide Residues, Pets, polyethoxylated tallowamine, Regenerative, Reproductive Health, soil health, synergistic effects, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | No Comments »
27
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 27, 2023) In a typical move, EPA proposes to greenlight a type of genetic engineering to solve a problem created by the industrial paradigm for pest control, i.e. vast acreages of monoculture treated with millions of tons of toxic pesticides leading to rapid resistance among crop pests. In this case EPA wants to approve using a nucleic acidâdouble-stranded RNA (dsRNA)–called âinterfering RNA,â or RNAiâto silence a gene crucial to the survival of the Colorado Potato Beetle (CPB), the scourge of potato farmers around the world. But EPA has skipped over important steps in its decision-making process and rushed to judgment. Like chemical pesticides, genetically-based pesticides are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). In 2020, Massachusetts-based GreenLight Biosciences applied for registration of its RNAi active ingredient, Ledprona, and its end-use product, Calantha. The company executive heading the effort is an alumnus of Monsanto and several other major chemical companies. Last May EPA granted GreenLight an Experimental Use Permit (EUP) authorizing field studies in states that produce tons of potatoes. A mere five months later, EPA announced its decision to approve the registration based almost entirely on incomplete EUP data and giving the public very […]
Posted in Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Take Action, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 2 Comments »
17
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 17, 2023) British biotechnology company Oxitec is withdrawing its application to release billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California, according to a recent update from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. The withdrawal is a victory for environmental and health campaigners concerned about the release of a novel mosquito that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had previously authorized under an âexperimental useâ permit. âGenetically engineered mosquitoes are an environmental justice issue for Tulare County residents who should not be human experiments,â said Angel Garcia, codirector of the statewide coalition Californians for Pesticide Reform and Tulare County resident in a press release. âWe are already impacted by some of the worst pollution problems in the state and deserve prior informed consent to being part of an open-air biopesticide experiment. Ahead of any future proposal for genetically engineered insects, DPR needs to have robust regulations in place that protect community members, and meaningful, inclusive public participation in any decision making.â âŻÂ  Oxitec began releasing its GE mosquitoes over a decade ago, first introducing the insects in the Brazilian town of Itaberaba. The company has made efforts to launch its mosquitoes in the United States, likely as a way […]
Posted in bacillus thuringiensis, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Florida, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Genetic Engineering, International, Mosquitoes, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
21
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 21, 2023) Into the annals of âentropic methods of agricultural pest controlâ arrives recent research showing that pests are, unsurprisingly, developing resistance to a genetically engineered (GE) biopesticide used for more than 90% of U.S. corn, cotton, and soybeans. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a naturally occurring bacterium; the versions deployed in conventional agriculture are engineered into Plant Incorporated Protectants (PIPs) â GE ingredients âinsertedâ into seeds for multiple kinds of crop plants. These PIPs target multiple crop-destructive insect species, including (in larval form) the corn rootworm and cotton bollworm, in particular. Beyond Pesticides continues to warn that âcontrols,â whether synthetic chemical pesticides or GE âbiologicalâ agents (such as GE Bt) that target living things (e.g., pests and weeds) are not sustainable over time because â in addition to the harms they cause â the issue of resistance will ultimately thwart their efficacy. There are two basic categories of genetic engineering employed in conventional agriculture. One technology transfers genetic material into seed to make plants tolerant of specific herbicide compounds that will be applied after planting (for example, the infamous âRoundup Ready,â glyphosate-tolerant seeds and plants). The other comprises plant-incorporated protectants (PIPs), in which the genetic material introduced […]
Posted in Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Resistance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
28
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 28, 2022) âWeedy rice,â a close relative of cultivated rice that invades rice fields and reduces yields, is rapidly developing herbicide resistance in critical rice growing areas throughout the United States. According to research published this month in Communications Biology, the widespread planting of herbicide-resistant rice, developed through traditional, transitional (non-genetically engineered) breeding techniques, is driving this concerning phenomenon. The findings highlight the risk to agricultural production that relies on crops developed to tolerate repeated applications of synthetic chemicals, regardless of their method of development. Weedy rice is a form of rice that was âre-wilded,â or âde-domesticatedâ from cultivated rice, independently evolving multiple times throughout the world. It is highly adapted to grow in areas where cultivated rice is produced, and can result in significant yield loses, as well as a reduction in quality that reduces marketability. In the early 2000s, the agrichemical industry believed they had found a solution to the weedy rice. Multinational chemical corporation BASF developed a line of rice cultivars, produced through traditional breeding, that conferred resistance to imidazolinone class herbicides. This includes chemicals like imazapyr, imazaquin, imazethapyr, and imazamox, which poses cancer, reproductive, and neurotoxic risks to human health, and is toxic […]
Posted in Agriculture, Genetic Engineering, Herbicides, Resistance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
20
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 20, 2022) A federal court this month declared that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) acted unlawfully in allowing food retailers to label genetically engineered (GE, or GMO) foods with only a âQRâ code. The decision, made by U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, comes as a result of a lawsuit against USDA by a coalition of nonprofits led by Center for Food Safety, along with organic retailers Natural Grocers and Puget Consumers Co-op. “This is a win for the American family. They can now make fully informed shopping decisions instead of being forced to use detective work to understand what food labels are hiding,” said Alan Lewis, Vice President for Advocacy and Governmental Affairs at Natural Grocers. “The public’s rejection of hidden GMOs has been weighed by the Court to be greater than the agrochemical industry’s desire to hide GMOs behind incomprehensible bureaucratic rules.” In 2016, Congress passed the National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standards Act, which established federal standards around labeling GE foods. That bill, dubbed by GE transparency advocates as the DARK (Denying Americans the Right to Know) Act, was the result of a deal between U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MO) and […]
Posted in Agriculture, Genetic Engineering, Labeling, Litigation, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
07
Sep
(Beyond Pesticides, September 7, 2022) Neonicotinoid (neonic) insecticides are causing widespread contamination within deer populations in Minnesota, with recent data showing significant increases over sampling that took place just two years earlier. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) began sampling the spleens of deer in the state after research conducted in South Dakota found widespread contamination, but also links to harmful effects as a result of the exposure. The latest findings will result in further testing, yet the sum of research on the dangers of neonicotinoids â not only to deer, but pollinators, birds, aquatic wildlife, and even human health â demands, according to advocates, a precautionary approach and meaningful restrictions on these potent systemic pesticides. Officials at MDNR have no explanation for the increase in contamination over the last sample period. “We’re not exactly sure why we saw that increase,” said Department of Natural Resources Ungulate Research Scientist Eric Michel, PhD, to mprnews.org. “But regardless, the two years of data are showing us that neonics are being detected pretty much across the state. When we look for them we find them in deer spleens. So that’s kind of the big takeaway from what we’re seeing right now.” Results […]
Posted in Contamination, Minnesota, neonicotinoids, Uncategorized, Wildlife/Endangered Sp. | 1 Comment »
10
May
(Beyond Pesticides, May 10, 2022) Widespread weed resistance on chemical corn and soybean farms is leading farmers to till their fields more often, significantly increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These findings were published late last month in the journal Nature Food by a team of Iowa State University researchers. With agricultural practices accounting for roughly 10% of U.S. GHG emissions, and 25% of worldwide releases, farming practices that preserve soil health and sequester GHGs are essential for the future of food production. Tillage is a farming practice that can provide a range of benefits for crop production, but only in the right conditions. A range of tillage practices exist, ranging from yearly conventional tillage, where most crop residue is plowed into the soil, to conservation tillage where some residue remains, and no-till systems where the soil remains covered. Repeated tillage causes significant harm to soil structure and biology, and result in erosion and the release of GHGs like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from soil into the atmosphere. The harms of tillage have led both chemical and organic farmers toward no-till or reduced tillage systems. Organic no-till farming, as practiced by farming groups like the Rodale Institute, employs the […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Alternatives/Organics, Dicamba, Genetic Engineering, glufosinate, Glyphosate, Resistance, Uncategorized | No Comments »
16
Mar
(Beyond Pesticides, March 16, 2022) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has authorized the âexperimental useâ and release of 2.5 billion genetically engineered (GE) mosquitoes in Florida and California by the British-based firm Oxitec. While the goal of eliminating disease carrying mosquitoes is an important public health challenge, public opinion has been consistently against the use of these animals, with nearly 240,000 individuals opposing a pilot program in the Florida Keys. Health and environmental advocates have a range of concerns with Oxitecâs approach, including the size of its latest experiment, lack of publicly verifiable efficacy data, and availability of alternative management practices not requiring GE mosquitoes. Oxitec began public releases of its GE mosquitoes at least a decade ago, when mosquito larvae were introduced in the Brazilian town of Itaberaba. The company has consistently angled to launch its mosquitoes in the United States under the claim that the animals will reduce numbers of Aedes aegypti, a highly problematic mosquito known to vector a range of diseases, including dengue, yellow fever chikungunya, and Zika. Research analyzing Oxitecâs proposals note that the risk of dengue and other disease from Aedes aegypti is low in the United States. In a recent study in Globalization […]
Posted in Florida, Genetic Engineering, International, Mosquitoes, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »
11
Feb
(Beyond Pesticides, February 11, 2022) A team of researchers has proffered a potential, biotechnical, way forward in the quest to reduce the scourge of malaria, which affects many people across the world. Their work uses the relatively new âCrisprâ technique to address, and reverse, the growing problem of mosquito resistance to the pesticides that currently dominate control strategies for the insects that spread the disease. This innovation nevertheless raises concern about both the introduction of new, genetically altered organisms into the environment without sufficient information on the implications, and continued, intensive pesticide use. Beyond Pesticides recognizes, as do the researchers, that malaria-borne mosquitoes pose a serious public health problem; however, it advocates for alternatives to chemical approaches to managing the spread of the disease, and asserts that successful management strategies will contend with the underlying conditions that exacerbate that spread. In 2020, Executive Director Jay Feldman said, âWe should focus on the deplorable living conditions, and inequitable distribution of wealth and resources worldwide that give rise to squalor, inhumane living conditions, and the poor state of development that, together, breed insect-borne diseases like malaria.â   Malaria, which is spread by female Anopheles mosquitoes infected with a Plasmodium parasite, causes illness in more than 200 million people annually, and is lethal to more than 400,000, […]
Posted in Genetic Engineering, International, Mosquitoes, Uncategorized | No Comments »
10
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides, January 10, 2022) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now undermining full public disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients in our food, both through misrepresentation in labeling and through a definition that allows a large percentage of ingredients to go undisclosed. The National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Act, dubbed the Deny Americans the Right to Know (DARK) Act by food safety advocates, establishes a national GMO (genetically modified organisms or genetically engineered GE) food labeling requirement that has led to deceptive messaging, preempts states from adopting stronger label language and standards, and excludes a large portion of the population without special cell phone technology (because information is accessed the QR codes on products). However, USDA regulations go furtherâcreating loopholes and barriers to transparency that prohibit the use of the widely-known terms “GMO” and “GE” and prohibit retailers from providing more information to consumers. Tell USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack to require USDA agencies to honestly disclose genetically engineered ingredients and carry out the goals of the Executive Memorandum, Modernizing Regulatory Review. Urge your U.S. Senators and Representative to ask Agriculture Committees to hold oversight hearings to ensure that USDA holds to those goals.   USDA is hugeâencompassing 29 agencies and offices, with […]
Posted in Agriculture, Genetic Engineering, Labeling, Take Action, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
07
Jan
(Beyond Pesticides. January 7, 2022) Unbeknownst to most Americans when they woke up on New Yearâs Day 2022, a new labeling system for genetically modified-engineered foodsâ promulgated in 2019 â which does not mention genetically engineered or GMO ingredients, went into effect. Consumer, food, and environmental advocates say that the new label is misleading, insufficiently transparent, discriminatory, rife with loopholes, and confusing for consumers. The new labeling requirement mandates that genetically engineered foods bear labels that indicate that they have been âbioengineeredâ or that provide a text-messaging phone number or a QR code as avenues for further information. (âAdditional options such as a phone number or web address are available to small food manufacturers or for small and very small packages.â) The new labeling rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) aims, according to the agency, to eliminate the crazy quilt of labels affixed to foods and ingredients that have been scientifically altered. According to an agency spokesperson, the rule is designed to âbalance the need to provide information to consumers with the interest in minimizing costs to companies.â Genetically altered food items and ingredients have heretofore been called, and labeled as, âgenetically engineeredâ (GE) or âgenetically modifiedâ (GM), […]
Posted in Agriculture, Genetic Engineering, Labeling, Uncategorized, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) | No Comments »
15
Dec
(Beyond Pesticides, December 15, 2021) Monsanto has pleaded guilty to multiple environmental crimes in HawaiĘťi for the second time in less than four years, and the island communities are left asking âwhen is enough enough?â In the most recent case, Monsanto will plead guilty to 30 environmental crimes in HawaiĘťi, related to pesticide use violations and putting field workers at risk. In both cases, they admit that they knowingly violated pesticide law and put field workers in harmĘťs way. They will pay a $12 million fine this time, bringing their criminal fines and âcommunity service paymentsâ to a total of $22 million since 2019. At the center of these cases is the fact that the Monsanto field workers had to transport, apply, and suffer exposure to these toxic and banned pesticides as a part of their job. Autumn Ness, director of Beyond Pesticides’ Hawai’i organic land management program, said: “In small island communities of HawaiĘťi, Monsanto workers are our friends and family. Folks live just downwind and next door to these fields. We are concerned about their health, and those concerns are glaringly missing from news reports and in the distribution agreements for the community service payments.” There are two […]
Posted in Agriculture, Bayer, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Genetic Engineering, Hawaii, Litigation, Monsanto, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »