Not so fast, biotech beets — federal judge orders environmental study

September 23, 2009 · Posted by in Environment, food 
A sugar beet | DailyCamera.com

A sugar beet | DailyCamera.com

A federal judge has told the USDA that they should’ve slowed down — and considered the environment — when the agency approved genetically modified sugar beets, which have recently caused an uproar here in Boulder County.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White ruled Monday evening that the USDA has to go back and produce the environmental impact statement that the agency should have worked on before.

Last December, six Boulder County farmers asked for permission to plant Roundup Ready sugar beets on the open space land they lease from the county. Since the county already allows GMO corn — 1,500 acres of open space is planted with it this year — the farmers thought the request wouldn’t be too big a deal.

But the issue blew up, thanks in part to a group of riled up leaders from the area’s organic and natural food industry. In August, the county commissioners agreed to delay the controversial decision on whether to allow the GMO beets while the county debates what to do with genetically modified crops in general.

From today’s Daily Camera:

The judge’s ruling “makes me glad we didn’t make a decision on this,” Boulder County Commissioner Will Toor said. “I would think that we want to let the courts and federal government sort through this before we make a decision on sugar beets.”

Toor said the county wants to create a comprehensive plan for how to manage genetically modified crops on county-owned land. He said a decision on that likely wouldn’t occur until 2011.

“What does sustainable agriculture look like in Boulder County?” Toor said. “When it comes to GMOs, it is not clear to me which GMOs fit.”

Ron Stewart, head of the Boulder County Open Space Department, viewed the ruling as positive.

“The more information that is available about these newer technologies, the better off everyone is,” he said.

Read the full story at DailyCamera.com or read more about the judge’s sugar beet ruling from Earthjustice, which filed the lawsuit.

Read more about agriculture on BigGreenBoulder:

GMO beet debate will go on — and on, and on, and on

How to be a farmer, step one: suck it up

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3 Responses to “Not so fast, biotech beets — federal judge orders environmental study”

  1. MrSprinkler on September 23rd, 2009 5:31 pm

    Poppycock…and no that is not a GMO flower variety!!!

    It is shameful that our politicians can not decide with information presented them how to have ruled on this issue. Even without the information and facts that were presented, why is it not enough that the overwhelming majority of voters asked to keep GMO's out (this time) And how do we get that King Korn out too???

    I know how they vote in 2011 will not effect how I vote for them….because I will not wait that long to change my feelings on having a representative who is aware and conscious for making our future decisions.

  2. biotech career on October 15th, 2009 1:07 pm

    I really liked your blog post,

  3. hippioflov on September 19th, 2010 1:06 pm

    What a dilema for consumers. Do we allow GMO's or do we go back to spraying cocktails of herbicides on our beets? GMO's or pesticide residue in our sugar? Also, consider how this will affect food prices. Lack of seeds will decrease the yield and demand will still be up and so will our food prices. Thanks guys, more pesticides for more money. Hmmmm….