Posted by Tom in NE on December 01, 2010 at 18:38:56 from (74.38.132.118):
(I read this out of the Lincoln, NE Journal Star newspaper website today. While I'm not a big fan of Monsanto, I question some California judge making the decision.)
Judge orders sugar beet seed-plants destroyed; Monsanto to appeal.
A federal judge has ordered sugar beet plants grown for seed pulled from the ground in what is believed to be the first court-ordered destruction of a genetically modified crop in the United States. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in California granted a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by the Center for Food Safety and other groups, fighting the United States Department of Agriculture and growers of sugar beets from Monsanto's bioengineered seeds, which the judge had already ruled have been planted without proper environmental review. He delayed implementation of the order until Dec. 7 to allow time for an appeal. Monsanto said it would do so. In an earlier decision, White said the government must conduct a more thorough environmental review before approving the crop to comply with the law. But shortly after that ruling, the USDA issued permits allowing companies to plant seedlings to produce seed for future genetically modified sugar beet crops. White said in his latest ruling that "there is a significant risk that the plantings pursuant to the permits will cause environmental harm." Sugar beet farmers have argued they will be unable to produce a crop next year without genetically modified beet seed, because there are no longer enough seeds from unmodified beets. They also warned that without a sugar beet crop, sugar prices could rise sharply. Half of the nation's sugar comes from sugar beets, and 95 percent of them are grown using so-called Roundup Ready seed produced by Monsanto. The seeds are engineered to withstand the weed killer Roundup, allowing farmers to reduce the use of other chemicals and limit tilling, which eliminates weeds but can contribute to erosion and evaporation of water. Nebraska ranks sixth among states in sugar beet production, and the crop has an economic impact of $130 million a year on the state's economy, according to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Virtually all Nebraska's beets are grown in the western part of the state. The USDA approved the growing of genetically modified sugar beets five years ago, but White has ruled it did so without proper environmental study. Paul Achitoff of Earthjustice, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, said the USDA, which was named as the defendant for issuing the permits "thumbed its nose at the judicial system and the public by allowing this crop to be grown without any environmental review." Environmentalists say widespread use of Roundup Ready crops leads to increased use of herbicides, proliferation of herbicide-resistant weeds, and contamination of conventional and organic crops. In previous court filings, Monsanto said revoking the government's approval of its genetically modified seed could cost the company and its customers some $2 billion in 2011 and 2012. USDA officials could not be reached for comment. Earlier this month, the USDA issued a draft proposal for handling of the genetically modified beets. It said it was considering allowing Monsanto beets back in the fields by next year under a permit subject to conditions "to prevent any potential plant pest risks."
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Today's Featured Article - Gatherin of the Orange - by Rick Nikolich. In July of 1998 I was talking to fellow Allis Chalmers collector Mike Schilling about the annual "Gathering of The Orange" AC show coming up in August of 1999. He got this wild idea that we should get a convoy of AC tractors and drive them from Charlotte, Michigan 105 miles to LaGrange, Indiana.
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