USDA training Monsanto to regulate itself!?!

SOURCE

The article's title is: EXCLUSIVE: Under Industry Pressure, USDA Works to Speed Approval of Monsanto's Genetically Engineered Crops

But the crucial part is:

under a new two-year pilot program at the USDA, regulators are training the world's biggest biotech firms, including Monsanto, BASF and Syngenta, to conduct environmental reviews of their own transgenic seed products as part of the government's deregulation process.

Now, I know that there is an ongoing debate concerning regulatory agencies in the U.S., and frankly, I cannot understand, given past experiences, how anyone would trust these corporations to regulate and police themselves?

Seriously, the lack of regulation with any teeth is what caused the financial crisis, corporations used to dump their toxic waste into sources of drinking water before regulations were put in place to stop them... heck, slavery and child labor were all accepted business practices before government stepped in!

Documents obtained by Truthout under a Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) request reveal that biotech companies, lawmakers and industry groups have put mounting pressure on the USDA in recent years to speed up the petition process, limit environmental impact assessments and approve more GE crops.

Once again, this is an example of big money influencing policy in Washington, placing private profits in front of potential issues with the well-being of citizens.

Activists say biotech firms like Monsanto are concerned only with profit and routinely supply regulators with one-sided information on the risks their GE seeds - and the pesticides sprayed on and produced by them - pose to consumers, animals and the agricultural environment.

[extreme sarcasm] NO... really... how shocking! [/extreme sarcasm]

"It's the equivalent of letting BP do their own Environmental Assessment of a new rig," Freese said.

Nothing more to say but ... sheesh!

the Billmeister

I guess I have a little more to say than sheesh...

The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) is a powerful group that represents dozens of biotech companies such as Monsanto, BASF and Bayer, and has spent more than $67 million lobbying Congress since 2000.

Here is a page right out of Paulson's playbook... just outright threaten disaster if congress fails to play ball your way! (Hey, it works!)

In April 2010, BIO sent a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack as the Monsanto alfalfa case made its way through the courts. BIO warned Vilsack that the American biotech agriculture industry could be crippled if the legal precedents required the USDA to prepare an EIS for every GE crop up for deregulation:

the Billmeister

I am in favor of small government, but where regulation actually serves a purpose I care about, they cut it.

WTF? But they are cracking down on raw milk?

How about next we let the weed smokers regulate themselves? I am only half joking as I am making two points on the absurdity of this story as well as excessive regulation in other aspects of government.

Originally posted by Billmeister
Now, I know that there is an ongoing debate concerning regulatory agencies in the U.S., and frankly, I cannot understand, given past experiences, how anyone would trust these corporations to regulate and police themselves?

Hey, it worked with the banks and financial institutions, right?
Oh.
Never mind.

Big question is, who is pressing the USDA to lie down and die? That's the enemy!

Weed smokers DO self regulate. I fail to see the reference point.

It's just frustrating the govenment makes rules and regulations that are not allowed to be questioned because we're too stupid to understand why.

It drives me nuts at their arrogance and above reproach attitude.

reply to post by CREAM


There is a huge difference between limiting personal freedom, and corporate/industrial regulation.

If you choose to eat, or grow GM foods, smoke cigarettes, drink raw milk, sport a mullet, all the power to you.

BUT when the practices of an industry have potentially nefarious effects on the environment and/or the health of citizens, it affects them WITHOUT their consent. History has shown us that profits are god to many of these companies, and that they will go to any means to increase them.

That is why regulation is necessary.

the Billmeister