Threatened moratorium could shut down half of U.S. sugar production

By DAVE WILKINS
Capital Press

Opponents of genetically modified sugar beets will ask a federal judge for a moratorium on any planting, cultivation or processing of the crop until the government completes an environmental assessment.

If granted, a moratorium would have "disastrous" consequences for growers and processors, industry officials said.

A hearing is scheduled for March 5 in San Francisco.

Attorneys for the Center for Food Safety and Earthjustice said in court documents filed Jan. 19 that plaintiffs would suffer "irreparable harm" if Roundup Ready sugar beets are allowed to be grown.

Last September, federal Judge Jeffrey White ruled that the USDA erred in deregulating Roundup Ready sugar beets and ordered the agency to conduct an environmental impact assessment. The judge found that there's a danger the genetically modified crop may cross-pollinate with non-genetically modified sugar beets and related crops such as organic Swiss chard and table beets. A hearing has been set for June in the remedy phase of the case.

That hearing will come too late to stop production of the crop this year. By mid-May, the Roundup Ready seed crop in Oregon's Willamette Valley will be flowering and most of the commercial root crop in states such as Idaho, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wyoming will have been planted.

In the meantime, plaintiffs want the judge to grant a moratorium on biotech beets, whether grown for seed or commercial root production.

"We're asking the court to halt all use of the genetically engineered sugar beets and seeds, now and into the future, until the federal government does its job to protect consumers and farmers alike," Earthjustice attorney Paul Achitoff said in a press release.

A ban on Roundup Ready beets would bring "disastrous impacts to 10,000 sugar beet growers, with collateral damage to the economy in 10 states, along with processors and seed companies," said Luther Markwart, executive vice president of the American Sugarbeet Growers Association.

About 95 percent of the U.S. sugar beet crop in 2009 was comprised of Roundup Ready varieties and more than half of all U.S. sugar production comes from beets, he said.

"The plaintiffs who oppose biotech sugar beets are asking the court to take radical action that would shut down half of America's sugar supply, causing severe dislocations in the domestic supply for all consumers," he said.

Industry officials point out that it's been five years since Roundup Ready beets were approved for planting and two years since plaintiffs filed their lawsuit.

"This unreasonable request is not justified by the evidence or any real or potential threat," Markwart said.

The industry looks forward to presenting its case in court, he said.

Links

American Sugarbeet Growers Association: www.americansugarbeet.org

Center for Food Safety: http://truefoodnow.org

Earthjustice: www.earthjustice.org