USDA settles with ProdiGene
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday that ProdiGene (College Station, Texas) agreed to pay a civil penalty of $250,000 in connection with incidents involving the contamination of soybeans intended for human consumption with corn that was genetically engineered to produce a pharmaceutical product (see BioCentury, Nov. 18, 2002). The company also agreed to reimburse USDA for all costs to acquire approximately 500,000 bushels of soybeans in storage in Nebraska, destroy the beans and clean the facility and all equipment, said USDA. Other terms of the settlement consent decree signed by ProdiGene include paying a $1 million bond and complying with higher compliance standards, including additional approvals, before field testing and harvesting genetically modified material. The company also agreed to develop a written compliance program to ensure that its employees, agents, cooperators and managers comply with the Plant Protection Act, federal regulations and permit conditions. ...