Monday, February 4, 2013

Agent Orange Corn Deregulation Delayed

http://tilth.org/news/agent-orange-corn-deregulation-delayed
Agent Orange corn won’t be coming to a field near you. This year. But its maker, Dow AgriSciences, has its sights set on the 2014 planting season.
Dow’s Enlist corn, soy and cotton, all awaiting deregulation by the USDA, are genetically engineered to be immune to the biotech giant’s Enlist herbicide. Enlist herbicide combines the weed-killers 2,4-D, a key ingredient in Agent Orange, and glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer. Studies link 2,4-D exposure to cancer, lowered sperm counts, liver toxicity and Parkinson's disease. Lab studies show that 2,4-D causes endocrine disruption, reproductive problems, neurotoxicity and immunosuppression.
Last year, advocacy groups and medical and health professionals lobbed more than 400,000 complaints about Agent Orange corn at U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. The National Resources Defense Council has sued the EPA in federal court over the use of 2,4 D in weed killers and other lawn products.
Who will win in the end? Clearly, Dow believes it will. The biotech bully is already gearing up for the 2014 planting season by opening five new “technology centers” in the Midwest and South to train farmers on how to plant Agent Orange corn, and to help to set up over 100 field plots at seed company and retail locations.

Learn more about the dangers of 2,4-D

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