USDA Prepares Draft EA on Regulatory Options for RR Sugar Beets

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has accomplished a draft environmental assessment (EA) in response to the request of Monsanto Company and KWS SAAT AG (KWS) for partial deregulation or some similar administrative action. This will allow the continued planting of the genetically modified Roundup Ready® (RR) sugar beets under carefully tailored interim measures proposed by APHIS. The EA evaluates three options, which include APHIS' preferred alternative-authorize production of RR sugar beet with stringent APHIS permit conditions.

"APHIS takes its role in protecting plant health very seriously and is well aware of the importance of this decision for sugar beet growers and processors," said Michael Gregoire, deputy administrator for APHIS' biotechnology regulatory services. "We are issuing this environmental assessment to share our decision-making process as transparently as possible and allow for public comment."

The draft EA is available for comments for 30 days. All the comments that will be submitted on or before 6 December 2010 will be reviewed and analyzed to determine if the agency would bestow partial deregulation of the product.

Read the press release from APHIS at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/content/2010/11/enviro_sugar_beets.shtml.