Prodigal Son

The U.S. Agriculture Department has levied more than $3 million in fines against biotech company ProdiGene for mixing GM corn containing an animal vaccine with soybeans meant for human consumption. The contaminated soybeans were stopped before they reached the market, and the company, which makes pharmaceutical and industrial enzymes and proteins by growing them in GM corn, will pay $2.7 million for the value of the soybeans, as well as additional money for the cost of destroying them and a $250,000 fine. The incident marks the first time the USDA has fined a biotechnology company for violation of the 2000 Plant Protection Act, which regulates the planting and transportation of GM crops.