Monsanto Intervenes in GM Alfalfa LawsuitSource: Food Navigator
Monsanto Co. has filed a legal motion to intervene in a U.S. case asking for a permanent injunction on the planting of Monsanto's genetically modified (GM) "Roundup Ready" alfalfa. Monsanto filed the motion on Friday, following a February 13 court ruling that found the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had failed to abide by U.S. environmental laws when it approved the GM alfalfa without conducting a full environmental impact assessment. U.S. district court judge Charles R. Breyer of the Northern District of California decided in favor of farmers, consumers, and environmentalists who filed a suit calling the approval of GM alfalfa a threat to farmers' livelihoods and a risk to the environment. Monsanto argues that prior to the approval of GM alfalfa, the company had provided the USDA with "an extensive dossier that addressed a variety of environmental, stewardship and management considerations, including those raised by the plaintiffs in this case." Referring to the plaintiff's description of GM alfalfa as a threat to conventional and organic alfalfa, Jerry Steiner, executive vice president for Monsanto, says, "evidence and experience show that sensible stewardship practices make it possible for these different production systems to coexist." Monsanto also notes that the judge in the case has already accepted that GM alfalfa has no harmful effect on humans and livestock. The article can be viewed online at the link below. http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=74705-monsanto-alfalfa |