Victory! Federal Court Strikes Down Lax GMO Rules, Halts GE Crop Introductions Without USDA Oversight

^{Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash}

SAN FRANCISCO—In a precedential victory for food and environmental safety, a federal district court ruled today that genetically engineered (GE) organisms must be regulated. The Court's ruling overturns the 2020 rule overhaul by the first Trump administration that had eliminated most government oversight over GE crops, trees, and grasses.

"This is a critical victory on behalf of farmers, the planet, and scientific integrity," said George Kimbrell, legal director for the lead plaintiff Center for Food Safety, and counsel in the case. "USDA tried to hand over its job to Monsanto and the pesticide industry and the Court held that capitulation contrary to both law and science."

The ruling is a rebuke of the first Trump administration's efforts to practically eliminate oversight of novel GE technology and instead let industry self-regulate. Previously, nearly all GE plants went through agency approval before experimental planting and again before any commercial use. Center for Food Safety and allies sued USDA in 2021 to reverse this rollback, arguing that the rule change violated numerous environmental laws, including the...