USDA Sued For Allowing Genetically Modified Sugar Beets to be Grown

September 14th, 2010 - 12:47 am ICT by Angela Kaye Mason  

usda Sep 13 (THAINDIAN NEWS) After an August ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White that the planting of genetically modified sugar beets would be halted for about two years, to make time for the USDA to complete and Environmental Impact Statement, a group of environmentalists, and several farming groups have filed a lawsuit against the USDA, accusing the agency of sidestepping that ban.

After spending both time and money in order to create a sugar beet which was immune to the effects of “Round-up” brand weed killer, Monsato revealed their genetically modified sugar beets. These beets will not respond to Monsato’s Round Up herbicide, and therefore the weed killer can be doused all over these sugar beets, drowning the sugar supply of America.

After the banning by the federal judge, pending an investigation into the potential harm caused by these genetically altered sugar beets, the USDA issued permits, allowing producers to plant the beets, as long as they do not allow them to flower.

The plaintiffs in the case, which include both the Center for Food Safety, as well as the Sierra Club argue that this is still posing s threat to surrounding crops, by risk of contamination, and add that this could lead to the evolution of a whole new herbicide-resistant species of weeds, endangering crops of every kind.

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