Monday, July 30, 2007
Transgenic Plum Gets USDA Non-regulated Status Based on False Claims of Safety

USDA deregulates its own transgenic plum despite overwhelming public objection

The United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) has recently granted non-regulatory status to a transgenic plum resistant to plum poxvirus [1] after receiving 1 725 comments from state farm bureaus, organic growers, growers associations, consumer groups, agriculture support industries, academic professionals and individuals, with respondents against the petition (1 708) outnumbering those in favor (17) by a factor of 100 to 1.

APHIS was clearly biased in favor of the petition in their Environmental Assessment, and attempted to justify its decision by stating...READ ON>>>