The USDA keeps legalizing tons of GMO food

“Roundup Ready” Genetically Modified Sugar Beets Labeled Safe by USDA
By James Assini on Feb 06, 2011

Earlier this year, the USDA made a decision to allow the commercial use of “Roundup Ready” genetically modified sugar beets. The decision came a week after the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture approved the planting of a yet another genetically modified plant, alfalfa.

Michael Gregoire, deputy administrator of APHIS, a biotechnology regulatory service claims genetically modified sugar beets are safe and should be deregulated. “After conducting an environmental assessment, we have determined Roundup Ready sugar beets could be partially deregulated without posing a plant pest risk or causing significant effects on the environment,” says Gregoire. APHIS claims the partial deregulation of “Roundup Ready” sugar beets is just an interim measure until the company completes its full environmental impact statement.

Monsanto’s Roundup Ready sugar beets are engineered to tolerate herbicides, which makes weed management easier for growers. 95% of sugar beet crops in the U.S. are genetically modified.

The Center for Food Safety, Sierra Club and Organic Seed Alliance have been trying to stop the deregulation of genetically modified beets since 2008.

In 2008, the Center for Food Safety sued the USDA for approving Roundup Ready GMO beets before conducting a full environmental impact assessment, which is required by law. They argued the widespread use of GMO crops leads to contamination of organic crops.

In August, District Court Judge Jeffrey White ruled in favor of the Center for Food Safety, making the USDA’s 2005 approval of Roundup Ready beets illegal. In turn, the crop was banned pending a proper Environmental Impact Study. According to the ruling, genetically modified sugar beet seedlings already in the ground must be removed.

The USDA appealed the order to remove planted seedlings already in the ground and a hearing is set to take place tomorrow.