USDA says ready to approve GMO corn for ethanol production

In Washington, the US Department of Agriculture said that it may approve the use of genetically engineered corn for ethanol production. It would be the first time that a genetically modified organism was approved for planting on such a large scale. The Union of Concerned Scientists has endorsed a ban on GMO corn in order to protect the food and feed supply from what it regards as inevitable contamination.

The Department said last November that, subject to a public comment period, it would approve GMO corn from Syngenta for non-regulated status that would enable the corn to be grown throughout the US without special regulatory oversight from the USDA. The public comment period has now ended.

One aspect of the decision still in the air? A decision with respect to dried distillers grains (DDGs) that are the major by-product of ethanol production and are used as cattle feed, thereby indirectly entering the human food consumption chain.

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