Sugar Beets Lose Court Battle

 Sugar Beets Lose Court Battle. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

If you have been following the court case regarding the genetically modified sugar beets it appears the court has won a battle as a federal judge in California has ordered the sugar beets plants be removed from the ground citing the potential for environmental harm. Lacy Gray has more on the story. 

GRAY: About 95 percent of the sugar beet crop has been genetically modified to resist the weed killer Roundup. The crop provides roughly half of the nation's sugar supply. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White has again raised questions about the use of genetically modified crops and what will happen if growers aren't allowed to plant GMO seeds. USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services issued permits to seed companies to plant sugar beet stecklings. The young plants produce seeds that then are planted to grow sugar beets. In his order Tuesday, White wrote that the environmental groups had shown that the genetically modified sugar beets could contaminate other crops, including through cross-pollination. The defendants in the case filed a request for an emergency stay of White's ruling, said uprooting the stecklings would create an unavailability of seeds for sugar beets in 2012, resulting in $482 million in damages to the industry. It also stated that it would destroy millions of dollars spent by the companies on research and development and hinder an effective appeal. Analysts have said an inability to plant genetically altered sugar beets would likely force a big jump in sugar imports and increased prices. White's ruling followed the release by APHIS of a preliminary plan to let farmers plant genetically modified sugar beets until a lawsuit is resolved. The 365-page report suggested farmers be allowed to plant Roundup Ready sugar beets under a closely monitored permit process to prevent contamination of other crops.

Thanks Lacy. George Kimbrell, an attorney for the Centers for Food Safety, one of the leading groups challenging the USDA's deregulation of genetically modified sugar beets, called White's ruling a “groundbreaking victory for farmers and the environment.” A spokesperson for APHIS says they are currently talking with the Justice Department to see what their option are. Meanwhile Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm that acted as lead counsel in the lawsuit said the government's conduct is really outrageous and that the court had just said in August the beets could not be grown and the government turned around and gave the industry the opportunity to grow them. This is a long way from being over.

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.