FFC To USDA, EPA: Responsibly Regulate Next Generation Of Genetically-Engineered Corn And Soy And Complementary Herbicide

While Friends Fiduciary does not invest in DOW due to our ESG screens, FFC, with other members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), has urged the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reject applications for the deregulation of new genetically engineered corn and soy. Deregulating these crops – known by Dow Agrosciences’ brand name “Enlist” – will drive up the use of their complementary herbicide “Enlist Duo” and thus the prevalence of its components glyphosate and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D). 2,4-D is a toxic herbicide that has been linked to cancer, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine disruption, and reproductive problems in humans. 2,4-D is also known to drift, posing a serious threat to rural economies and farmers growing crops that aren’t engineered to withstand the herbicide. Dow Agrosciences’ own Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Enlist Duo is alarming. Monsanto’s “RoundUp Ready” system caused a dramatic rise in glyphosate-resistant “superweeds”; Dow is promoting genetically-engineered 2,4-D corn and soy as the solution to combatting glyphosate-resistant superweeds. Concurrent with the USDA’s regulatory process, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting risk assessments to decide upon the approval of Dow’s proposed new uses of 2,4-D herbicide. The agency will publicize its proposed regulatory decision in the coming months for public review and comment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has already found both Enlist corn and soy to be in compliance with its regulatory requirements. Over the last 2 years, the USDA has received comments from over 400,000 individuals and over 150 farm, fishery, public health and environmental groups and private business. FFC calls for the USDA to heed the collective request for a thorough environmental review of Dow’s Enlist. FFC also calls for the EPA to ensure meaningful public participation. Friends Fiduciary both conveys and leverages the concerns of our Quaker constituent base in advocating for good public policy on business related issues. To learn more, view the letter  here