A federal judge extended his nationwide ban on the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa Thursday and faulted federal officials for approving an herbicide-resistant strain of the crop without studying the dangers of contaminating other farmers’ alfalfa or breeding tougher weeds. [...] ”The contamination cannot be undone,” he said. ”It will destroy the crops of those farmers who do not sell genetically engineered alfalfa. ... It is not in the public interest to take action that has the potential of eliminating the availability of a non-genetically engineered crop without adequate investigation into the long-term impact of such action.” [...] ”This crop represents a very real threat to their crops and their livelihood,” Kimbrell said. ”This ruling is a turning point in the regulation of biotech crops in this country.”

A U.S. judge questioned whether he should lift a ban on the sale and planting of Monsanto Co.’s genetically modified alfalfa without a government study of the crop’s potential impact. U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer on Friday told lawyers defending the use of Monsanto’s alfalfa that it was up to the government -- not him -- to determine whether use of the seed posed a potential threat to the environment. He also said that lifting his preliminary injunction before such a study was complete could lead to greater harm to the environment. He challenged defense lawyers to show him case law establishing a precedent for him to do so.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) granted on Friday a commercial use exemption to Herculex RW, a rootworm event developed and sold by Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Dow AgroSciences. [...] Both products had received federal approval. ”Once the USDA has given approval to a product, in this case the specific traits, the MDA wants to review the USDA documentation along with the EPA documentation,” says Margaret Hart, MDA communications coordinator. ”It’s an extra step the state of Minnesota takes to examine any perceived threats to the environment or human health.”

US farmers are planting a genetically modified corn seed that has not yet been approved overseas, and exporters said on Tuesday they were concerned that any accidental commingling with regular supplies could hurt corn exports that were worth US$4.8 billion last year. Swiss-based Syngenta AG is selling seed that contains a trait called Agrisure RW that allows corn to resist root worm, an insect that can cause crop losses.

Monsanto, the multinational biotechnology corporation and leading producer of genetically engineered seed with a near monopoly on many crops and annual revenue exceeding $7 billion, is worried that you are being misled. For this reason, the company wants to ban shady dairy farmers like those rascally Amish and weirdo hippies from labeling their products free of artificial hormones.

Organic and conventional farmers find themselves on opposite sides of the fence as the Legislature considers a bill to make manufacturers of genetically modified seeds liable for damages if their products spread to other crops. Some supporters of the bill, sponsored by Rep. James Schatz, D-Blue Hill, said it would protect farmers’ ability to control what they grow, whether they use organic or conventional methods. Opponents said the bill could cause some manufacturers to remove their products from Maine, depriving conventional farmers of tools they use.

Genetically engineered, pharmaceutical rice is not a safe or cost-effective solution for infants suffering from diarrhea, concludes an exhaustive report released today by the Center for Food Safety, as the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) considers whether to allow planting of the rice in Kansas this spring. The report discusses potential adverse health impacts of the rice-grown drugs, which have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The United States Trade Representative has formally told the European Union that it is interested in continuing an effort aimed at ensuring a normalization of biotechnology trade in the wake of a ruling by the World Trade Organization that the EU’s approval process for genetically modified organisms has run afoul of the procedures that guide sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and that member state bans on products previously approved in the EU violate the WTO.

At the supermarket you’ll find eggs from vegetarian-fed hens and apples grown without the use of pesticides. Or you can buy regular old eggs and apples. But you get the information you need to make your choice. If St. Louis-based agribusiness giant Monsanto has its way, though, you’ll have less information at the supermarket. You’ll be denied the option of choosing milk from cows that haven’t been given an artificially engineered growth hormone. [...] Monsanto has every right to protect its profits. But not at the expense of consumers’ right to know.

The California Rice Commission is reporting that a test of the rice seed for the state’s 2007 crop has found the seed free of genetically modified traits. Specifically, the commission noted that no evidence was found of traits associated with the LibertyLink gene, which appeared in trace amounts last August in commercially produced long grain rice grown in the South.