Genetic modification food giant Monsanto and a San Francisco-based consumer advocacy group are set to take the battle over genetically engineered foods to court. This week, the Supreme Court decided to hear a case over Monsanto's genetically-engineered alfalfa sprouts designed to be resistant to the Monsanto herbicide Roundup.
The court agreed to hear the case after Monsanto petitioned following its defeat in 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last year.
The seed at the center of the debate is Monsanto's alfalfa, the first perennial crop to be genetically engineered. Alfalfa, extensively used for cattle feed and with more than 20 million acres in cultivation, is the fourth most widely grown crop in the nation.
The fact that it is open-pollinated by bees makes this patented genetically modified organisms (GMO) a new and potentially wide-reaching problem in U.S. agriculture. As bees carry the pollen of Monsanto alfalfa to non-GMO alfalfa plants, the foreign DNA can enter organic alfalfa, thus disqualifying those crops as USDA organic.
Furthermore, conventional farmers will have to switch to Monsanto pesticide as the crop becomes unsuited for conventional pesticides.
The Case Against Monsanto
In 2006, consumer advocacy group Center for Food Safety (CFS) filed a lawsuit against the USDA for approving Monsanto's Roundup-resistant alfalfa on behalf of a coalition of nonprofits and farmers. They said that the spread of genetically modified alfalfa genes, whether intentional or unintentional, would threaten consumer choice. Though they think they are buying organic, the produce will have already had some degree of GMO contamination.
As for the environment, farmers and advocates worry that as the pesticide treadmill speeds up, it will be impossible to get off, and the wide use of pesticides will degrade the soil, water, and air. The more agriculture relies on pesticides to protect their crops, the more resistance the pests will gain, and a new, stronger pesticide would be required the next growing season.
Federal courts ruled in favor of CFS and banned the sale of GE alfalfa until the USDA completed an environmental impact statement (EIS) to assess the full risks of allowing such a crop into the nation's fields. A draft EIS was released in December and is open for public comment until Feb. 16.
This is the first time the U.S. government has ever done an in-depth environmental analysis for any GE crop.
Monsanto representatives did not reply for comment.
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