Gaining Ground in the Courts: The Center for Food Safety’s Recent
Victories in the Battle Over Genetically Engineered Crops
In a string of recent cases, the Center for Food Safety (CFS),
representing and partnering with other non-profit consumer advocacy
groups, environmental protection organizations, and numerous small
farmers, has won hard-fought victories in federal court. Judges found
that the environmental assessments done by the United States Department
of Agriculture (USDA) prior to the testing or commercialization of
several genetically engineered (GE) crops was either non-existent or
severely lacking, and in violation of our nation’s environmental
protection laws. Each of these victories, summarized briefly below, is a
landmark decision, with far reaching implications for the future testing
and agency assessment of genetically engineered crops. Taken together,
these cases represent cornerstones of a new body of case law being
created by CFS and others that protect the public, the environment, and
farmers from the dangers of GE crops and preserve our public right to
choose non-GE crops and food.