Supreme Court to hear GM alfalfa case

For the first time, the US Supreme Court will enter into the ongoing battle over genetically modified crops. The hearing of Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms, No. 09-475, results from a petition by Monsanto for the Court to review a 2007 federal district court ruling that the Department of Agriculture's approval of genetically modified alfalfa was illegal. The court said the USDA needed to supply an environmental impact statement (EIS) to determine the Roundup Ready seed's impact on nearby crops.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) had filed a lawsuit supporting farmers who wished to retain the choice to plant non-GM alfalfa. CFS was victorious, and has since won two appeals made by Monsanto.

"This is truly a 'David versus Goliath' struggle, between public interest non-profits and a corporation bent on nothing less than domination of our food system,"said Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety. "That Monsanto has pushed this case all the way to the Supreme Court, even though USDA's court-ordered analysis is now complete, underscores the great lengths that Monsanto will go to further its mission."

(Sources: Reuters, UK; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; The Billings Gazette; GMO-Compass)