06/08/12: Montsanto; ethanol; FAO and rice

Hello, 

Hope you all had a marvellous weekend.  A lot has gone on over the last few days so here's your Monday morning catch up:

• Monsanto wins $1 billion in patent-infringement trial against DuPont.  The trial centred on whether DuPont infringed on Monsanto’s patent for developing genetically modified soybean seeds that can withstand the weed killer Roundup.  Read more... 

• Petition asks EPA for one-year waiver of ethanol production mandate.  As drought conditions become the worst in 50 years and corn yields are expected to drop significantly, a coalition of meat and poultry organisations asked the U.S. Environmental Protection agency to waive the federal mandate for the production of corn ethanol.

• FAO lowers global rice forecast but production will still grow.  Read more...

The EPA was directed to set standards for radioactive materials under Reorganization Plan No. 3 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)