| It depends on who you listen to. According to the New York Times, this was a clear win for Monsanto. And, worse, it was a 7 to 1 vote. But the Center for Food Safety says otherwise. In the decision, it is STILL illegal to plant Roundup Ready Alfalfa until the USDA deregulates it (again). And, if they want to deregulate it (and they do), they must complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
The lower court decision that the Supreme Court overturned was a two-part move against Monsanto. There was the vacatur, which nullified the USDA's decision to deregulate GE alfalfa, and there was an injunction, which banned most planting of GE alfalfa until the USDA did a proper EIS. The court removed the injunction BUT said that the vacatur alone (which stands) was enough to keep GE alfalfa illegal for now, until the USDA does its EIS. The EIS is a year away from completion.
Also important is this (from the Center for Food Safety):
The Court further recognized that the threat of transgenic contamination is harmful and onerous to organic and conventional farmers and that the injury allows them to challenge future biotech crop commercializations in court.
That's huge. |
