The previous ruling in Center for Food Safety, et al. v. Vilsack revoked USDA's approval of GM sugar beets until an environmental impact statement could be completed. The decision blocked the planting of GM sugar beets in the future, but farmers may harvest the crop this fall and sell it as sugar. The plants are modified to be "Roundup Ready" or modified with genes that give them immunity to a glyphosate-based herbicide. For more information on this case, click here and here to read past US Ag&Food Law and Policy Blog posts on the subject.
In response to this ruling, USDA's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it would issue permits to producers to authorize sugar beet production under strict conditions that would not allow the plant to flower, according to the LA Times.
The plaintiffs argue that the "USDA-permitted plantings could contaminate nearby fields" and they are asking the judge "to bar all plantings" of any GM sugar beets.
For the full-text of the complaint, click here.
To read the Reuters story, click here.
To read the LA Times story, click here.
Posted: 09/10/2010
