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Farmers and consumer and conservation groups have filed a suit in federal court challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's approval of Monsanto's Roundup Ready (RR) sugar beets. Growers stretching from Michigan to Oregon are poised to plant GE beets for a 2008 harvest. And nobody quite knows what to expect.
RR sugar beets are genetically engineered (GE) to tolerate applications of Monsanto's trademark herbicide, Roundup (generic name "glyphosate"). While proponents tout easier weed control and less dependence on herbicides, opponents fear the development and spread of weeds resistant to glyphosate and cross-pollination between organic and other non-RR sugar beets and relatives (including table beets and chard).
USDA first approved RR sugar beets in 1999, but industry concerns about consumer rejection (largely from candy manufacturer Hershey) kept them out of the marketplace.
Some food processors are publicly supporting GE sugar this time around, including Kellogg, citing lack of consumer resistance. Other companies, such as Hershey and Mars, are remaining tight-lipped. Which makes me wonder, is the market really there? As one article explained: "the sugar beet industry simply decided to hold hands and jump."
Approximately half of the sugar consumed in the U.S. is derived from beets, the balance from cane sugar. The European Union approved GE sugar for import, but mandatory labeling means that some food companies may choose to import cane sugar instead of beets to avoid consumer rejection of their products. Only 3 percent of beet sugar is exported from the U.S.
The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice on behalf of the Organic Seed Alliance, Sierra Club, and High Mowing Seeds. Plaintiffs seek a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIS) to better evaluate the environmental, health, and economic impacts of RR sugar beets on the environment and in the marketplace.
A similar case was successful last year, when a federal district court vacated USDA's approval of RR alfalfa, calling the agency's decision "cavalier" because it failed to perform an EIS.
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