Appeals Court Grants Temporary Stay - Sugarbeet stecks are allowed to keep growing (2010-12-09)
(Einbeck, December 9, 2010, Nr. 41, ho) On Dec. 6, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay against the November 30th decision by the California judge Jeffrey S. White, who ordered that
Roundup Ready® - sugarbeet stecks be removed from fields.
With this decision, the stecks are allowed to remain on the fields for the time being until Dec. 23.
At the beginning of September, KWS and other sugarbeet breeders received approval from from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to grow stecks intended for research and breeding purposes, as well as basic seed and commercial seed production for 2012 and future years.
With this ruling, the planting that had been halted by the August 13 decision was allowed to resume. Environmental groups applied for an injunction as well as for the removal of the stecks from fields. The responsible judge, Jeffrey S. White, granted the injunction and a ruling was issued for removal of the stecks. KWS and other concerned parties immediately filed for an appeal against this decision.
On December 6, 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay of Judge Jeffrey White’s November 30, 2010 ruling. This means no action has to be taken to remove or destroy the stecklings until December 23, 2010 and in the interim, the Court will determine the next steps in the proceedings.
KWS is confident that commercial planting of Roundup Ready® sugarbeets for 2011 as well as the continuance of seed production will both be made possible in the near future. This will allow American farmers access to state-of-the-art varieties with proven advantages for agriculture, consumers, and the environment.
Contact:
Dr. Henning von der Ohe
Phone: +49- 55 61 311-245
h.vonderohe@kws.com
