genetic engineering

The agribusiness sector has failed to make its case with the general public for genetically engineered crops, said witnesses at a House Agriculture subcommittee hearing. Cornell professor David Just, who studies consumer attitudes, said, "In general, we find a large and growing number of consumers who stigmatize GMOs."

Deputy Agriculture Secretary Krysta Harden will take part in the annual U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing this week, says USDA. Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew are leaders of the U.S. delegation for meetings Wednesday and Thursday on "the challenges and opportunities that both countries face on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global areas," said a State Department official quoted by AFP.

Rep Mike Pompeo, sponsor of a bill to pre-empt states from labeling of GMO foods, is challenged in the Aug 5 Republican primary in Kansas by his predecessor, Todd Tiahrt. The Topeka Capital-Journal describes it as "a GOP family feud punctuated by slash-and-burn denunciations. This is clearly a race capable of ripping Republicans apart."

The Agriculture Department approved cultivation of two apple varieties that are genetically engineered to resist browning. Developed by Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc., the apples will be marketed as Arctic Granny and Arctic Golden.

A top Chinese agriculture official says the world's most populous nation will continue research into genetically engineered crops, and will assure the safety of the technology, Reuters reports.

After a decade of development, Monsanto anticipates its genetically engineered Xtend soybean and cotton varieties will be its "largest biotech trait launch...with six times the number of varieties" that it offered in a previous set of GE strains.

More than a decade after pulling the plug on genetically engineered wheat, Monsanto is working again on biotech wheat, says the St Louis Post-Dispatch after visiting a research center run by the agribusiness giant.

A bill in the Oregon Senate, introduced at the request of Gov John Kitzhaber, would allow the state to establish control areas to separate genetically engineered crops from organic and conventional crops if necessary to prevent cross-pollination, says Capital Press.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack relayed word of Chinese approval Syngenta's MIR 162 corn variety, which has roiled corn sales for months and prompted dozens of lawsuits, says the Financial Times.

Based on comments from industry officials, two news outlets said China has approved Syngenta's biotech MIR 162 corn but Reuters says there was no official word to the U.S. government.

Seed company Syngenta said it expects China will approve "in the near future" a genetically engineered corn variety that is at the root of a dispute over shipments of U.S. corn to the Asian giant, says Dow Jones.

Cotton and soybean varieties genetically engineered by Monsanto to tolerate the herbicide dicamba should be approved for use by farmers, said USDA in issuing its final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the strains.

Second-term Sen Jeff Merkley of Oregon is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on agriculture and FDA for the 114th Congress, said Sen Barbara Mikulski, the Democratic leader on the committee, in a statement.

The world's largest rice grower and consumer, China, renewed the biosafety certificates for five additional years for two varieties of genetically engineered rice developed within the country, says Reuters.

Seed companies such as Scotts Miracle-Gro and Cellectis Plant Sciences are utilizing techniques to genetically modify crops that are outside of federal jurisdiction or use methods that were not imagined when the regulations were created, said the New York Times.

Two farm operations in southwestern Oregon filed suit in state court against a voter-approved ban on genetically engineered crops in Jackson County, says the Medford Mail Tribune.

Chinese approval of Syngenta's genetically engineered corn "increases the likelihood the seed maker will pay settlements" to farmers and exporters who sued over lost export sales, according to lawyers interviewed by Reuters.

The Food and Drug Administration, the lead U.S. regulator of genetically engineered animals, issued two documents to clarify its risk-based oversight of the creatures and their developers. The agency exercises varying levels of scrutiny, ranging from full-scale review of an animal and its risk profile to instances in which developers can take an animal directly to market without consulting the FDA.