Ag Sec Vilsack Won't Take Sides, But Admits GM Regulations Needed

by Mike Smith · 2009-10-13 14:53:00 UTC
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Does U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack need to choose to support either big agriculture or small farmers? Can he not do both? Some people are unhappy about his hybrid approach; he was booed for including mention of genetically modified crops at a conference. He emphasized that GM crops would be essential to feed the world, promising a safe and transparent system in the market for the crops, but stressing that smaller farmers also need to get a "fair break."

When asked directly about industrial agriculture and how he plans to curb it in favor of small farmers, Vilsack explained: "I have two sons and I love them both. And your question sort of, kind of asks, 'Which son do you love the most?'" So he has admitted that he could never possibly favor either side more, a position of uncompromising steadiness and a refusal to heed any evidence that sounds completely unreasonable.

This comes days after Vilsack admitted that regulation on GM crops and seeds were 20 years out of date, saying "I think [GM regulations are] an evolving process, which is why we're doing this and probably should have done it more than 20 years ago." Farmers are unhappy that GM crops have become accepted as the norm, complaining that they must have the right to grow non-GM crops without fear of contamination from GM — contamination could close the market with Japan and Europe who enjoy strict standards that ensure imported products are GM-free.

Photo credit: Steve Cadman

Mike Smith
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