Lincoln and Chambliss decry rulings on genetically engineered foods

Agriculture Chairwoman Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) have raised concerns over court decisions setting back the sale of genetically modified foods, waging that the rulings are not based on sound science. 

In a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack late last month, the senators said the Agriculture and Justice Departments should "mount vigorous defenses against lawsuits that seek to upend science-based regulatory decisions."

The pair cited the June Supreme Court decision in Monsanto v. Geerston Seed Farms that stopped the sale of certain genetically modified alfalfa seeds based on a regulatory violation as well as a district court decision that halted the sale of genetically modified sugar beets. 

These "recent wrongly-decided court decisions threaten to thrust the U.S. regulatory system for agriculture biotechnology into a non-functioning regulatory system," the letter said.

The senators charged that the plaintiffs manipulated the law to "circumvent sound science and the intent of Congress" in order to "slow regulatory decisions and prevent commercialization in the future." 

The plaintiffs have included conventional farmers and environmental groups. 

Sounding strong support for genetically modified crops, the senators said "the innovation and adoption of agriculture biotechnology has contributed to higher yields, greater production and increased profits for U.S. farmers."