The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service hosted a conference from March 12 to 13 at North Carolina State University. The conference focused on the importance of coexistence between conventional, organic, identity preserved, and genetically engineered crops.

The conference was a place where experts could put in their two cents and help the USDA form a plan to better promote agricultural coexistence in the US. Sessions were organized to discuss the the current state of affairs, challenges, and additional steps the USDA is considering to respond to the challenges.

EMAC Director, Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes, presented at the workshop. His speech focused on the economic lessons learned from non-GM markets in the United States.  Other speakers included Gary Woodward, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; Ron Moore, Secretary of the American Soybean Association; and Errol Schweizer, Executive Global Grocery Coordinator for Whole Foods Market.

This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to deregulate Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist corn and soybean traits in the United States.

With the USDA action, the ball now goes to the Environmental Protection Agency for registration of Enlist Duo herbicide, the companion herbicide to the Enlist traits. Approval for Enlist Duo is expected in the near future.

The Enlist traits are part of the Enlist Weed Control System, a new trait and herbicide technology. USDA’s decision applies to the Enlist corn, Enlist soybean and Enlist E3 soybean traits. Enlist E3 soybeans are being developed through a collaboration between MS Technologies and Dow AgroSciences. (more…)

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced several steps that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking to address the increase of herbicide-resistant weeds in U.S. agricultural systems.

“Weed control in major crops is almost entirely accomplished with herbicides today,” said Vilsack. “USDA, working in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency, must continue to identify ways to encourage producers to adopt diverse tactics for weed management in addition to herbicide control. The actions we are taking today are part of this effort.” (more…)

The most recent CAST Issue Paper, “The Potential Impacts of Mandatory Labeling for Genetically Engineered Food in the United States,” explores the issues surrounding mandatory labeling of GE foods. EMAC Director Nicholas Kalaitzandonakes co-authored the paper along with Alison Van Eenennaam from the University of California-Davis, Bruce M. Chasey from the University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign and Thomas P. Redick, Global Environmental Ethics Counsel, LLC .

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