05/16/07 Fallout from court ruling

A lot of alfalfa seed farmers in Idaho and eastern Oregon applauded a federal judge's ruling that barred any planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa after March 31st. They'll get a full environmental review because of their concerns about their alfalfa crops being contaminated by the GM alfalfa. That's not the only concern they should have says American Farm Bureau attorney Danielle Qwist. QWIST "This decision is the first time that a court has ordered farmers to stop planting a product." Farmers who planted the biotech alfalfa have to reveal the locations of those crops and USDA has to publish that information. Qwist says in the past farmers who have planted biotech crops have been harassed by activists. QWIST "We don't ever want to have harassment of our farmers when they choose a legal and profitable crop." The Roundup Ready alfalfa was approved in 2005 and now is barred pending the environmental review which could take two years. Qwist says this legal battle changes the world of biotech crops. QWIST "Farmers are going to have to now consider in planting any biotechnology crop whether or not a court in the future is going to stop them." Voice of Idaho Agriculture