By Theodora Filis The House Agriculture Committee has passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill that includes dangerous provisions for genetically engineered crops (GE). According to Food & Water Watch, several "riders" were included in the House Farm Bill at the last minute that would allow for the rubber-stamp approval of genetically engineered crops if the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) doesn't finish its approval of the crops within a year. “These weaken the requirements of the USDA's environmental analysis, allowing the agency to do even less of an assessment of the potential harm posed by the crop, and they endanger the entire organic market, by sanctioning the contamination of non-genetically engineered crops”. One of the biggest concerns is a provision in the 2013 Agriculture Appropriation bill—Section 733 (also known as the Monsanto Rider) which would allow the planting of GM crops even if they were illegally approved. In spite of l
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. There are many environmental issues I write about in this blog, some will scare you, and it is my hope, these articles will give you a reason to question and search for answers.