Category: Department of Agriculture
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Court Vacates APHIS Deregulation of GM Sugar Beets; No New Planting Allowed for Now
A federal court in California has decided to stop all new planting of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets in light of its September 2009 ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) violated environmental law when it deregulated the crop without conducting an appropriate environmental assessment. Ctr. for Food…
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APHIS Announces Biennial Review and Reorganization of Select Agent and Toxin List
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking under the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002, soliciting feedback on the list of select agents and toxins that could pose “a severe threat to animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products.” APHIS…
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APHIS Seeks Participants in Biotech Quality Management System Program
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a notice requesting voluntary participation in a program designed to improve compliance with regulations pertaining to the importation, interstate movement and environmental release of genetically engineered (GE) organisms. APHIS conducted a pilot Biotechnology Quality Management System (BQMS) Program in 2009 and has since refined its…
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Congressman Asks FDA to Investigate Toxins in Gulf of Mexico Seafood
U.S. Representative Edward Markey (D-Mass.) has called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to respond to reports that the April 20, 2010, oil spill has contaminated the marine food chain in the Gulf of Mexico with toxins such as arsenic. In a July 13 letter to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, Markey expressed concern “that…
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Russia and U.S. Reach Agreement on Poultry Exports
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced a trade agreement with Russia that ends a January 2010 ban on chlorine-treated poultry from the United States. In exchange for lifting the ban, USDA has pledged to post on its website information about “which disinfectants/pathogen reductions treatments are known to be approved by Russia for use…
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Agencies Plan Two Meetings on Food Safety Progress
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has announced two public meetings with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to hear stakeholder input on collective efforts to reduce illness, harm and death from contaminated food. Extensions of an initial workshop held…
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Cornucopia Institute Urges Public Nomination Process for Organic Board
An organic industry watchdog has released a June 7, 2010, letter that urges the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to increase the transparency of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) appointment process. “The Cornucopia Institute, and other organic advocates, have long been concerned that representatives from corporate agribusiness have obtained a disproportionate influence on rulemaking…
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APHIS Meetings to Target Animal Disease Traceability
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced two public meetings for stakeholders to offer input on a new framework for animal disease traceability. Specific details for a proposed animal disease traceability rule will be discussed on June 24, 2010, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and July 1 in…