Riders attacking GE crop safeguards and USDA review process remain amid growing concerns over risk to nation’s food supply

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture completed the markup of its Farm Bill yesterday evening.  Buried in the bill reported out of committee are a suite of chemical industry-promoting riders (Sec. 10011, 10013, and 10014) that seek to severely weaken the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) oversight of genetically engineered (GE) crops, fundamentally eroding science-based review.

These riders have the potential to:

• completely eliminate the critical roles of our most important environmental laws;
• unreasonably pressure USDA with impossible deadlines for analysis and decision, while withholding funds to conduct environmental reviews;
• create multiple backdoor GE crop approval mechanisms that would allow the premature commercialization of untested biotech traits to enter our food system;
• limit the regulatory authority of other agencies, such as EPA; and
• force USDA to adopt a controversial policy of allowable levels of GE contamination in crops and foods.

Center for Food Safety (“The Center”) has warned that these hidden biotech riders would eliminate vital USDA safeguards that are currently protecting American farmers and the nation’s food supply.  With the provisions in place, USDA would be ill-equipped and potentially incapable of preventing costly contamination episodes (such as the Starlink corn and Liberty Link rice fiascos which cost American farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in losses) and risks damage to vital U.S. export markets.

Responding to the bill reported out of committee, the Center reiterates its strong opposition to irresponsible and unnecessary changes to USDA’s regulations, and joins a growing numbers of organizations and businesses in opposing the riders.  Given the 100+ amendments offered to the bill and the sweeping opposition to it in general, the Center is not surprised little attention was paid to these provisions during markup and is confident that they will ultimately be eliminated on the House floor or when the House and Senate bills go to conference.

Earlier this week, a letter signed by 40 organizations and businesses including the Center for Food Safety, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, National Family Farm Coalition and Organic Trade Association was delivered to Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) opposing the biotech riders.  The National Grain and Feed Association, whose members include Archer Daniels Midland Company and Cargill, Inc., also expressed serious concern with the chemical industry-promoting riders.

The letter can be found at Organizations and Businesses Join to Oppose Stripping of USDA’s Biotech Regulations in House Farm Bill.