Article originally published in The Organic and Non-GMO Report
More than 170,000 people, as well as more than 440 organizations worldwide, have risen up to oppose the release of the defective GE chestnut tree known as Darling 54 (D54) into wild forests. This response was generated during the USDA’s 45-day public comment period that ended on July 21, 2025 regarding the petition to deregulate the GE tree, submitted by the SUNY-ESF (State University of New York-College of Environmental Science and Forestry).
Anne Peterman, executive director of Global Justice Ecology Project, said, “Opposition to the release of GE trees into our forests is growing in incredible ways. People are standing up to clearly reject, not just the USDA’s plan to unleash an unproven and unstable GE tree into wild forests, but also this first-ever attempt to allow a genetically engineered, sexually reproducing plant to spread in the wild where it could contaminate wild relatives.
The ecological risks of this for-profit scheme are far too great, and the science is fundamentally flawed.” The American Chestnut Foundation (TACF) was a long-time partner with SUNY-ESF to develop the GE American chestnut, but withdrew when it became evident that the trees had serious problems.
The overwhelming response from the public and civil society makes it clear that the USDA must:
- Reject the petition to deregulate the Darling 54 GE American chestnut.
- Support non-GE chestnut restoration rooted in sound science, biodiversity, and Indigenous knowledge.
Source: Global Justice Ecology Project