By SHELLY STRAUTZ-SPRINGBORN
Michigan Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sugar beet growers received a temporary reprieve last week when the USDA announced farmers can plant Roundup Ready (RR) seed this season under certain conditions.

The ruling is good news for Bay County sugar beet grower Bob Kernstock, who said although farmers are waiting for more information about planting requirements, the decision gives growers the go-ahead to buy seed and prepare for the 2011 planting season.

“Up to this point, we were uncertain about what we would be doing,” he said. “We didn’t know which way to plan.”

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced its decision last week to partially deregulate RR sugar beet seed as long as farmers enter into a compliance agreement that defines mandatory conditions governing how farmers manage their crop. Among the provisions, farmers must remove any sugar beet that bolts during the growing season.

Visit www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/sugarbeet_documents.shtml to read the detailed regulations.

The partial deregulation contradicts a federal court ruling in August 2010 that halted planting of the seed pending a USDA review of impacts it could have on other food crops.

“After conducting an environmental assessment, accepting and reviewing public comments and conducting a plant pest risk assessment, APHIS has determined that the Roundup Ready sugar beet root crop, when grown under APHIS-imposed conditions, can be partially deregulated without posing a plant pest risk or having a significant effect on the environment,” said Michael Gregoire, deputy administrator for APHIS’ biotechnology regulatory services.

“This partial deregulation is an interim measure until APHIS is able to complete a full environmental impact statement.”

According to an APHIS press release, if it determines the mandatory conditions of the partial deregulation set forth in the compliance agreements are not complied with, the agency has the discretion to revoke, withdraw or otherwise cancel the conditional partial deregulation for root crop production.

Further, APHIS may use the full range of its Plant Protection Act authorities to impose civil and/or criminal penalties and remedial measures, including seizure, quarantine and/or destruction of root crop in violation of the mandatory conditions of the partial deregulation. APHIS has also issued its decision to continue to regulate the seed crop through its permitting process.

RR beets have been genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide commonly known as Roundup. The seed technology was developed by Monsanto Co. Kernstock said regardless of the regulations, the ruling is positive for growers who often struggle to gain weed control using conventional seed.
“For us, having the ability to plant Roundup Ready seed has enormous benefits for the environment,” he said. “If we can’t use Roundup, we have to use other chemicals for weed control that are harsher on the environment and the sugar beets themselves. We had herbicides, but we always had to use recipes of several different herbicides, which increased chances of application error.
Roundup is much safer. It takes less applications and provides better control.”

RR sugar beets have been under fire for a number of years. In 2005, APHIS granted nonregulated status to them; however, in early 2008, a lawsuit was filed challenging APHIS’ decision. On Sept. 21, 2009, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California found that APHIS should have prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) prior to making a decision to fully deregulate RR sugar beets. On Aug. 13, 2010, the same court issued a ruling vacating APHIS’ decision to fully deregulate RR sugar beets and remanded the matter to APHIS. APHIS is currently developing an EIS prior to making any further decision on the petition for a full deregulation of RR sugar beets. APHIS expects to complete the EIS by the end of May 2012.

RR sugar beets were introduced to farmers during the 2007-08 crop seasons. In 2010, more than 90 percent of the sugar beets grown in North America were RR varieties.