USDA Plans to Ignore Court and Allow GE Sugar Beet Plantings: Make Your Voice Heard Today!
Comment period ends December 6, 2010
Organic Seed Alliance, with the help of the Center for Food Safety, enjoyed a major success in federal court this year in keeping genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets out of American fields. Though a legal victory, organic and non-GE seed producers could still find themselves fearing contamination this spring. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing commercial production of GE sugar beets – before the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ordered by the court is completed – even though the court determined that GE sugar beets are once again a regulated crop, and revoked approval for planting pending the results of a full EIS (expected in 2012). The agency recently released an Environmental Assessment that proposes “partial deregulation” and is now receiving public comments through December 6, 2010.
Tell USDA to honor the federal court’s ruling and look out for the interests of organic and non-GE farmers over those of the biotechnology industry.
View talking points and sample letters for organic farmers and consumers here.
