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Sunday, February 19, 2012

Monsanto Accuses US Farmers of 'Evading EPA Rules'

Monsanto blames farmers for the emergence of
'superbugs' like the Bt-resistant corn rootworm.
(photo: Ian Marsman/flickr)
By Bloomberg News
18 Febrary 12

Makers of genetically modified seeds say more farmers evading EPA rules

onsanto Co. and other seedmakers reported a threefold increase last year in U.S. farmers caught violating rules intended to stop insects from developing resistance to genetically modified corn.

The rules affect farmers planting seeds modified to produce a toxin derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a natural insecticide. The Environmental Protection Agency requires those growers to also plant an adjacent area - a so-called refuge - of non-Bt corn so that bugs feed on both types of corn and don't become immune to the toxin.

About 41 percent of 3,053 farmers inspected in 2011 failed to fully comply with the refuge requirement, according to data that Monsanto provided last week in an e-mail.   READ MORE
 

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