By Jasmin Melvin
The U.S. food supply is at risk of being invaded by unapproved imports of
genetically modified crops and livestock, a USDA internal audit report
released Wednesday said.

The report, released by the U.S. Agriculture Department's Office of
Inspector General, said the USDA does not have an import control policy to
regulate imported GMO animals.

Its policy for GM crops, though adequate now, could become outdated as other
nations boost production of their own GM crops, the report added.

The Office of Inspector General recommended the department develop an
overall control policy for all GMO imports and implement a strategy to
monitor GM crop and livestock development in foreign nations.

The audit found that the USDA needs to develop screening measures to weed
out undeclared GM crops and livestock. The department currently has no
measures in place to identify a shipment of unapproved GMO imports unknown
to the U.S. regulatory system, the report said.

The United States has been a forerunner in developing GM plants and animals
since the 1990s, but other countries are beginning to invest more in
biotechnology.

The report noted that China has pledged $500 million toward biotechnology by
2010 and has developed a new form of GM rice.

Although the implications associated with Americans consuming unapproved GM
food are unknown, the health and environmental concerns that it poses could
threaten commerce.

The USDA's lack of policies and monitoring capability on the matter reflect
the United States' dominance over the global market concerning genetic
modification.

"Department officials stated that they have not needed such a strategy
because most transgenic plants were first developed within the U.S.
regulatory system, and it was unlikely that anything unfamiliar would be
imported," the report said.

"And transgenic animals have not been commercialized," the report also said
of officials' reasoning behind being slow to develop regulations.

The USDA, for the most part, agreed with the report's recommendations.

In a letter to the Office of Inspector General, the USDA said it would
create a plan for monitoring GM plant and animal developments worldwide by
November 30. But further action on policy would require approval from the
incoming administration.

(Editing by Christian Wiessner)
www.checkbiotech.org