The so-called Monsanto Protection Act signed into law earlier this year caused such an outrage that people around the world are planning to protest the biotech company later this month. Now a United States senator is expected to try and repeal that law.<\/p>\n
According to the Huffington Post, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon)
\nplans to introduce an amendment in Washington that would repeal
\nSection 735 from the Consolidated and Further Continuing
\nAppropriations Act of 2013, a provision that has put St. Louis,
\nMissouri-based Monsanto in the sights of environmentalists around
\nthe world.<\/p>\n
Deep within the nearly 600-page spending bill, Section 735
\nincludes language that lets biotech companies that experiment with
\ngenetically-engineered and genetically-modified crops test and sell
\nlab-made products even if legal action is taken against them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe provision would strip federal courts of the authority to
\nhalt the sale and planting of an illegal, potentially hazardous GE
\ncrop while the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) assesses those
\npotential hazards<\/i>,\u201d dozens of farmers wrote the House of
\nRepresentatives before the bill was passed in March. \u201cFurther,
\nit would compel USDA to allow continued planting of that same crop
\nupon request, even if in the course of its assessment the
\nDepartment finds that it poses previously unrecognized
\nrisks<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n
But despite pleas from agriculturalists around the world, both Since being passed in late March, the spending bill has Should the prediction prove correct, it would suggest a change Monsanto has called Section 735 \u201ca positive step to ensure US Demonstrations are scheduled in 36 countries on six continents \u201cMost of the people that become motivated to engage the
\nthe Senate and House approved the spending bill \u2013 with Section 735
\nin tow \u2013 and the act was signed<\/a> into law just days later by US President Barack
\nObama.<\/p>\n
\nattracted immense criticism from all different sectors, including
\nsmall-time farmers, Tea Party activists and even members of
\nCongress. According to Huffington Post, however, Sen. Merkley is
\nexpected to be the first lawmaker in Washington to walk into the
\nCapitol with a plan to repeal the amendment. HuffPo reported on
\nThursday that Merkley is planning to introduce an amendment on a
\nseparate farm bill going up to vote shortly that will reverse the
\nso-called \u2018Protection Act.\u2019<\/p>\n
\nof heart for Sen. Merkley. According to the Vote Smart Project,
\nMerkley was one of 73 senators that voted in favor of the
\nConsolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act when it went
\nup for vote on March 22. Only 26 senators voted \u2018nay\u2019 during that
\nhearing, and the House approved<\/a> it shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n
\nfarmers and our food chain are shielded from supply disruptions
\ncaused by litigation over procedural issues unrelated to sound
\nscience or the safety of biotech crops.\u201d<\/i> Sen. Roy Blunt
\n(R-Missouri) told Politico earlier this year that he co-authored
\nthe language of the amendment along with Monsanto<\/a>. Previously, Blunt received
\n$64,250 from Monsanto to go towards his campaign committee between
\n2008 and 2012.<\/p>\n
\nlater this month for anti-Monsanto activists to come together and
\nprotest the company. Speaking to Bloomberg this week, Monsanto CEO
\nHugh Grant said<\/a> his critics exercise a \u201cstrange kind of
\nreverse elitism<\/i>\u201d fueled by social media campaigns to condemn
\nhis company.<\/p>\n
\npolitical issues have become convinced that going down the road of
\ngenetically engineered foods is not the way to meet the needs of a
\nfood insecure population<\/i>,\u201d Grant said. \u201cThere is space in
\nthe supermarket shelf for all of us<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n