EPA Fines Syngenta $1.5 Million for Distributing Unregistered GE Pesticide

[nosmokes]

i have a gut feeling there's more to this story but i haven't had time to suss it out yet. one and a half large is still chump change for a corp like syngenta, but that's more than is usual for something is supposedly non-harmful. and it is a big enough sum to make one sit up and take notice.-nosmokes
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original

Date Posted: Dec. 21 2006

EPA Fines Syngenta $1.5 Million for Distributing Unregistered Genetically Engineered Pesticide

Washington, DC - Syngenta Seeds, Inc. Golden Valley, MN has agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for selling and distributing seed corn that contained an unregistered genetically engineered pesticide called Bt 10.

While the federal government has concluded that there are no human health or environmental concerns with Bt 10 corn, it is still illegal to distribute any pesticide not registered under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

"This action shows that when a company violates the law by distributing unapproved pesticides, EPA vigorously enforces the law," said Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance.

Late in 2004, Syngenta disclosed to EPA that it may have distributed the seed corn to the United States, Europe, Japan, and South America.

Immediately following the disclosure, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and EPA began an investigation and evaluation that confirmed the distribution of unregistered seed corn on over 1,000 occasions.

A penalty was assessed by USDA, and the company destroyed all the affected seed under USDA supervision.
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complete article here

[Swede]

1. The hubris of these companies is gonna unleash something bad.

Something real bad.