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A World Health Organization group's controversial finding that the world's most popular herbicide "probably is carcinogenic to humans" was based on a thorough scientific review and is a key marker in ongoing evaluations of the product, the scientist who led the study said Thursday."There were several studies. There was sufficient evidence in animals, limited evidence in humans and strong supporting evidence showing DNA mutations . and damaged chromosomes," Aaron Blair, a scientist emeritus at the National Cancer Institute, said in an interview.

Monsanto Co, maker of the world's most widely used herbicide, Roundup, wants an international health organization to retract a report linking the chief ingredient in Roundup to cancer.The company said on Tuesday that the report, issued on Friday by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), was biased and contradicts regulatory findings that the ingredient, glyphosate, is safe when used as labeled.

An environmental group sued the U.S. government on Friday, accusing regulators of discounting the dangers of a widely used herbicide on the declining monarch butterfly population.The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in U.S. District Court in New York. The suit claimed the agency has failed to heed warnings about the dangers to monarchs posed by glyphosate, the key ingredient in a widely used herbicide. Glyphosate is used in Monsanto Co's Roundup and other herbicides.

U.S. regulators on Friday approved what would be the first commercialized biotech apple, rejecting efforts by the organic industry and other GMO critics to block the new fruit.The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) approved two genetically engineered apple varieties designed to resist browning that have been developed by the Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.

Processing lines at some U.S. hog slaughterhouses are moving too fast for inspectors to adequately address contamination and food safety concerns, according to an advocacy group that says it has obtained affidavits from four government meat inspectors. In the affidavits, released Friday by the Government Accountability Project, a "whistle-blower protection" organization, the inspectors detail experiences inside pork-processing plants participating in a pilot program engineered by the USDA to speed up lines while improving food safety and trim inspection costs.

Monsanto Co. received final U.S. approval on Thursday for herbicide-tolerant crops to be used with a new herbicide the company says will fight problematic weed resistance on farm fields, but critics say will only worsen the problems. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) said the genetically modified cotton and soybean plants are granted "non-regulated" status. Monsanto is still waiting for final approval from the Environmental Protection Agency for the herbicide it designed to be used with the crops.

Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, said on Wednesday profits dropped 34 percent in the first quarter compared with a year ago, due in part to lower planted corn acres in South America and a shift in timing of some sales. Monsanto, known for its genetically engineered corn, soybeans and other crops as well as the popular Roundup herbicide, said net sales dropped to $2.9 billion in the quarter ended Nov. 30 compared with $3.1 billion in the year-ago period, with sales of corn seeds and genetic traits down 12 percent.

Symbiota, a start-up agricultural plant health company planning to tweak the capabilities of wheat, corn, soy and other crops in ways that improve yields, has named a former pharmaceutical executive as its president and chief executive officer. David Perry joined Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Symbiota this week after leaving Anacor Pharmaceuticals Inc, a company he co-founded and ran from 2002 until last year."

More than half of food tested by the U.S. government for pesticide residues last year showed detectable levels of pesticides, though most were within levels the government considers to be safe, according to a report issued Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The USDA looked at fresh and processed fruits and vegetables as well as infant formula, apple juice, and other products.

The final vote tally on an Oregon ballot measure that would require labeling of foods made with genetically modified ingredients was so close that state officials are doing a recount, a spokesman for the state said on Tuesday. Final results show the Oregon measure losing by 812 votes out of a total of more than 1.5 million votes, according to the Oregon Secretary of State's Office.