President Obama Signs Monsanto Protection Act Into Law, Angering Protestors

monsanto

  • On Tuesday, President Obama signed a spending bill, HR 933 continuing resolution, into law. Included in HR 933 is the controversial Section 735, the provision now know as the “Monsanto Protection Act.”
  • The Monsanto Protection Act effectively prevents the federal courts from halting the sale or planting of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically engineered (GE) seeds and crops regardless of what health consequences may result from the consumption of those products in the future.
  • A major concern is that not enough research has been done on the health risks of GMOs and GE products. If health risks were to become apparent in the future, the Monsanto Protection Act would remove the judicial power to prevent companies from selling them.
  • Several groups are criticizing Congress for putting the Monsanto Protection Act into the bill that had to be passed to avoid government budget shutdown. Chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Barbara Mikulski, is being accused by the Center of Food Safety for not giving the bill a proper hearing which would have included review by the Agricultural or Judiciary Committees.
  • “In this hidden backroom deal, Senator Mikulski turned her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as Monsanto,” Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement to International Business News.
  • Opponents hope when HR 933 expires in six months, the Monsanto Protection Act will not be renewed.

Find more information at CBS News, Salon and International Business Times.

 

 

Also Read: 

7 Facts About GMOs 

Up to 70% of Supermarket Food is Genetically Modified: See How it Affects You 

5 Scary Food Secrets Corporations Don’t Want You to Know

image credit: Ira Bostic / Shutterstock.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *