Ag Headlines, Monday September 12, 2016

Vilsack:  Clear View of GMO Rules Before 2017

The U.S. Department of Agriculture expects to release a notice of proposed rulemaking for GMO labeling regulations before the end of this year. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack also said the USDA will release a request for proposal for a study on the effectiveness of electronic communications of GMO information. Pro Farmer’s First Thing Today says the study is mandated by law and the RFP will come out in October. Vilsack hopes the study is complete by the summer of 2017, saying to the department’s Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture, “We’re very committed to getting this done in the time frame that Congress directed.”

EPA Decision on Dicamba Expected Late in 2016

The Environmental Protection Agency set a goal of issuing a decision on Monsanto’s new dicamba products by the end of this year. The products are designed to be used with the Roundup Ready Xtend crops. However, the approval process has been bogged down by reports of farmers using an older version of the herbicide and have done some damage in nearby crops that aren’t resistant to the weed killer. In April, the EPA proposed allowing the use of the herbicide designed to be used with the Monsanto Xtend crops, but it hasn’t actually approved it yet. Some farmers filled in the gaps with older versions of the herbicide. The acting Director of the EPA’s pesticide registration division, Michael Goodis, said those uses are illegal and could be subject to criminal prosecution. Goodis also said the chemical’s effects on nearby crops raise concerns about Monsanto’s new herbicide being contained in fields where it’s applied.

Source;  NAFB News