The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled for WORC and our fellow-plaintiffs, upholding a nationwide ban on the planting of genetically modified (GM) Roundup Ready alfalfa pending a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The Court rejected an appeal by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Monsanto of Federal Judge Charles Breyer’s 2007 decision to enjoin further sales and planting of GM alfalfa seed and requiring USDA to prepare a full EIS on any future decision to approve GM alfalfa.

In her opinion for the Court, Circuit Judge Mary M. Schroeder upheld Judge Breyer’s finding that “the harm to growers and consumers who wanted non-genetically engineered alfalfa outweighed the financial hardships to Monsanto and Forage Genetics and their growers.”

Source: WORC (Western Organization of Resource Councils), www.worc.org/index.html