Ruling Will Let Farms Harvest Genetically Modified Beets

"SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge on Tuesday said farmers could harvest their genetically engineered sugar beets this year, ruling that the economic impact would be too great if the crop were to be destroyed.

The judge, Jeffrey White of the United States District Court in San Francisco, also ruled that the environmental groups, including the Center for Food Safety, waited too long to request that the crop be yanked from the ground and barred from the market.

Nearly all sugar beets planted are genetically engineered and the crop accounts for half the nation’s sugar supply."

The Associated Press had the story March 16, 2010.