According to a draft Environmental Impact Statement from USDA – full deregulation is the preferred alternative for corn and soybean traits from Dow AgroSciences that are resistant to 2,4-D herbicide. Dow’s Enlist corn and soybeans are the first developed with 2,4-D resistance. They have been under USDA review for several years. According to Dow – growers need new tools now to address the growing challenge of herbicide-resistant and hard-to-control weeds. But groups like the Center for Food Safety are opposed to USDA’s recommendation. Executive Director Andrew Kimbrell says the decision – if finalized – would launch American agriculture into a new era of vastly increased dependence on more toxic pesticides. Kimbrell wants the Obama Administration to overturn the proposal – which he calls dangerous and misguided. The draft EIS will be open for public comment for 45 days once it is published in the Federal Register – which is expected in the next week. The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing the safety of Dow’s Enlist 2,4-D herbicide and is expected to issue its proposed regulatory decision in the next few months.
Source: NAFB News Service