03/14/07 GMO alfalfa seed ban

A federal court judge has banned the sale of Monsanto's genetically modified alfalfa seed. US District Judge Charles Breyer says the Roundup Ready alfalfa seed that is already in the ground can stay but no recently purchased seed can be planted after March 30th. That is good news for Idaho growers like Jim Briggs of Marsing who worried that his alfalfa seed could be contaminated by the GMO crops and ultimately rejected by his contract buyers. BRIGGS "Export hay markets are not accepting any contamination, any GMO in the hay products. There's concern in the organic industry. So there's concern on the marketing side of the products as well as the resistance side of Roundup Ready weeds that can develop over time." Briggs says Roundup Ready alfalfa accounts for one percent of the total crop but is a threat to the other 99 percent that's conventionally grown in southwestern Idaho. BRIGGS "We produce about 11 thousand acres of certified alfalfa seed which to the Idaho producer according to the Seed Indemnity Fund is worth about 15 million dollars." Monstanto gets a hearing in early April on the company's motion to intervene in the case brought by several different groups led by the Center for Food Safety. Judge Breyer will hold another hearing in late April to consider a permanent injunction to halt specialty seed sales. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott