U.S. Supreme Court lifts ban on Monsanto's genetically engineered alfalfa seeds

The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a nationwide ban on the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa seeds, despite claims they might harm the environment. In a 7-1 vote Monday, the court reversed a federal appeals court ruling that had prohibited Monsanto Co. from selling alfalfa seeds engineered to resist Monsanto's popular weed killer Roundup. The U.S. Agriculture Department must now decide whether to allow the genetically modified seeds to be planted. It had earlier approved the seeds, but courts in California and Oregon said the USDA did not look hard enough at whether the seeds would eventually share their genes with other crops. The case is between Monsanto and a Greenleaf, Idaho, company, Geertson Seed Farms, which was founded in Oregon and has grown, bagged and sold alfalfa seed since 1942. Growers who raise organic or even conventional crops worry about contamination from the genetically engineered crop. Critics also worry the crop could encourage greater use of Roundup, polluting ground water and leading to more resistant weeds. "This Supreme Court ruling is important for every American farmer, not just alfalfa growers," said David F. Snively, Monsanto's senior vice president and general counsel. "All growers can rely on the expertise of USDA and trust that future challenges to biotech approvals must now be based on scientific facts, not speculation."...more