Opponents of genetically-modified food narrowly lost at the polls in California last month.
But the anti-GMO forces aren’t giving up. Their latest target: a provision in a House bill that would make it harder for environmentalists and their lawyers to prevent farmers from planting genetically-modified crops. Opponents of the provision are calling it the “Monsanto Protection Act” because Monsanto is a large manufacturer of genetically-modified seeds.
https://twitter.com/EthanBearman/status/278926529990377472
Monsanto Could Get Immunity from Federal Law!http://t.co/jlcq4R64 #Monsanto
— David Icke (@davidicke) December 12, 2012
Old story but very current and pressing issue. “@anewgreenearth: #Monsanto to get immunity from federal laws?: http://t.co/Co5q4Jhh #GMO”
— Elizabeth Kucinich (@EJKucinich) December 10, 2012
As a parent, I want to know what my kids are eating. Tell Congress to kill Monsanto Protection Act: http://t.co/0f04im7a @unhealthytruth
— DanCitizen (@DanCitizen) December 10, 2012
The anti-GMO forces make it sound as if this provision would give farmers and seed-makers total immunity from federal law. According to AGProfessional, however, this claim is false. The provision in the House bill would simply allow farmers to grow federally-approved genetically-modified crops while legal appeals are ongoing:
The claim is that farmers are planting unapproved seed whereas in reality the farmer protection provision is geared toward allowing farmers to proceed in planting, or at least harvesting biotech crops, after an initial registration/approval. Farmers are not planting crops that were unapproved/unregistered by the USDA.
The situation has developed that every biotech/GMO crop approval is challenged by activists, which could delay farmer planting for years as court challenges stretch on and on. As noted by lawyers who have been involved in court cases, biotech crops have not been found to be unsafe. Setbacks in court to biotech crops have occurred as the registration paperwork was found to not be completed to micro detail.
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Related: Charlie Sheen smears GMOs: ‘Why are the bees vanishing?’
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