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Supreme Court will hear Roundup Ready alfalfa case
The U.S. Supreme Court says it will hear Monsanto’s appeal of a lower court ruling which stopped the sale of Roundup Ready alfalfa. USDA had approved sale of the seed but courts in California and Oregon stopped sales in 2007 saying USDA had not sufficiently studied the potential for the genetically modified crops to cross-pollinate with conventional alfalfa.
The USDA issued a draft environmental impact statement in November and again recommended that farmers be allowed to plant it. The agency is accepting public comments on its proposal and a final action on the issue is expected later this year.
The case could also affect a similar ruling which halted the sale of Roundup Ready sugar beets.
Justice Stephen Breyer will not take part in the case because his brother, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco, issued the initial ruling against Monsanto
We have a small natural grass fed beef operation and are against genetically modified anything! We got into the natural beef business in order to provide pure beef, free of antibiotics, steroids, and grain. Since I end up buying hay to supplement what I grow, I want to be able to make certain that any hay I buy has never been modified or treated with chemicals. With the prospect of cross pollination with GMO alfalfa looming, I could not be certain that my feed and my finished product will be 100% natural.