Organic Trade Association enters legal fray as Monsanto scores another victory

image
Author: Chris Hinyub
Published: 11 Feb, 2011
Updated: 13 Oct, 2022
2 min read

This year we are witnessing the dawn of the Obama-era USDA, one where biotech interests seemingly trump the rule of law. Several genetically engineered crops are being rammed through the regulatory approval process without serious scientific scrutiny or public input in 2011.

 

In a genuinely astounding move, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has decided to ignore a court order and continue to allow the planting of Monsanto's Roundup Ready sugar beets – genetically engineered to withstand the company's patented herbicide. This decision came one week after the agency's highly-controversial assertion that Monsanto's genetically engineered alfalfa does not need to be commercially restricted in any way.

 

IVP Donate

     “Once again, USDA has plowed ahead on genetically engineered crops, this time to approve a petition for partial deregulation, even though the courts have found that USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) failed to comply with National Environmental Policy Act mandates,” said Christine Bushway, Executive Director and CEO of the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

 

She added:

 

     “This direct affront to farmer and consumer choice flies in the face of USDA’s mandate and greatly jeopardizes agricultural diversity and the future of rural American livelihoods.”

Let Us Vote : Sign Now!

 

The USDA made the announcement last Friday when it declared that the regulated status for GE sugar beet seed production will remain in place. The OTA, a membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America, has ardently opposed any action by the USDA regarding GE beets until a final Environmental Impact Statement is completed. In 2009 when the USDA tried a similar move, a federal judge found that non-regulated status for GE sugar beets violated the National Environmental Policy Act.

 

On January 26, the OTA joined other organic associations as amici curiae in an ongoing lawsuit to stop the continued planting of GE sugar beets.

More Choice for San Diego

 

The OTA has a vested interest in seeing to it that biotech products aren't planted, something it has made clear in a recent press release:

     “Unrestricted commercialization of GE crops—86 percent of the country’s corn and 93 percent of soybeans—has resulted in widespread unlabeled presence of GE materials in mainstream food products unbeknownst to the average consumer. The USDA organic program is the only federal food label that prohibits the use of GE crops or materials. Currently, the organic sector bears the burden created by unchecked release of GE crops.”

Bushway says that this is yet another victory the USDA has handed the well-funded biotech industry at the expense of the environment, economy and public health.

     “It is amazing that we find ourselves in this situation where the average consumer has no idea the extent of genetic engineering in the domestic sugar supply,” Bushway said. “The expected impact of this decision is far reaching, particularly to organic farmers and consumers. With 21 petitions for other new genetically altered crops pending, we are left to wonder how future farmer and consumer choice can be maintained under the current circumstances.”

Latest articles

CA capitol building dome with flags.
Why is CA Senator Mike McGuire Trying to Kill the Legal Cannabis Industry?
California’s legal cannabis industry is under mounting pressure, and in early June, state lawmakers and the governor appeared poised to help. A bill to freeze the state’s cannabis excise tax at 15% sailed through the State Assembly with a unanimous 74-0 vote. The governor’s office backed the plan. And legal cannabis businesses, still struggling to compete with unregulated sellers and mounting operating costs, saw a glimmer of hope....
03 Jul, 2025
-
7 min read
I voted buttons
After First RCV Election, Charlottesville Voters Back the Reform: 'They Get It, They Like It, They Want to Do It Again'
A new survey out of Charlottesville, Virginia, shows overwhelming support for ranked choice voting (RCV) following the city’s first use of the system in its June Democratic primary for City Council. Conducted one week after the election, the results found that nearly 90% of respondents support continued use of RCV....
03 Jul, 2025
-
3 min read
Crowd in Time Square.
NYC Exit Survey: 96% of Voters Understood Their Ranked Choice Ballots
An exit poll conducted by SurveyUSA on behalf of the nonprofit better elections group FairVote finds that ranked choice voting (RCV) continues to be supported by a vast majority of voters who find it simple, fair, and easy to use. The findings come in the wake of the city’s third use of RCV in its June 2025 primary elections....
01 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read