A report was issued this
week by the auditor of the US Department of Agriculture revealing the department's failure to properly control and
regulate the trials of genetically modified crops. "In many cases, the report said, regulators didn't even know
where the field trials were." Numerous violations were noted, such as not inspecting sites and failing to ensure
that the trial crops with genetically modified genes were destroyed after the test was complete. This increases the
risk that these genes may have been released into the environment.
The release of the report followed the announcement that two of Monsanto Company's engineered corn traits had received final clearance from the USDA. One of the corn traits protects from a pest know as rootworm, as well as providing weed control around the crops, while the other trait combines the first with protection against a corn borer pest. Receiving final clearance for deregulation means that Monsanto can now market its products at state level and in foreign markets








