Roundup Ready Sugarbeets

Roundup Ready Sugarbeets (RR Sugarbeets) are genetically engineered sugarbeets that has had their DNA modified to withstand the herbicide glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup). They are also known as "glyphosate tolerant" sugarbeets. As with all Roundup Ready Crops, a farmer planting RR sugar beets can spray the entire field with glyphosate, killing only the weeds while the crop survives. Most of the controversy surrounding the Roundup Ready Sugarbeet surrounds Monsanto's variety of RR sugar beets which are identified as "Event H7-1." See the page on Event H7-1 for more information.

History
1980s:
 * 1988: Monsanto and KWS SAAT AG create a variety of Roundup Ready sugarbeets, Event H7-1.

1990s:
 * June 22, 1998: Novartis Seeds and Monsanto petition the U.S. to deregulate their Roundup Ready sugarbeet variety, GTSB77.
 * December 23, 1998: The U.S. deregulates GTSB77.

2000s:
 * 2005: Monsanto petitions the U.S. to deregulate Event H7-1 and the U.S. deregulates Event H7-1 in March.
 * August 31, 2005: Canada deregulates Event H7-1.
 * 2008: Farmers begin planting Event H7-1 sugarbeets.

2010s:
 * August 2010: A judge overturns the USDA's deregulation of Event H7-1 until the USDA completes an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prohibiting farmers from planting the Roundup Ready sugar beet until the EIS is completed and the USDA deregulates it once agani.
 * February 4, 2011: The USDA announces a partial deregulation of Event H7-1 for root crop production only.
 * July 19, 2012: The U.S. deregulates Event H7-1 sugarbeets once again.

Controversies
For more information, see the Controversies section in the article on Roundup Ready Crops.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Monsanto
 * Biotechnology
 * Roundup
 * Roundup Ready Crops
 * Glyphosate
 * Glyphosate Resistant Weeds
 * Sugar Industry Biotech Council
 * "Monsanto Protection Act"

External resources

 * "USDA Announces Decision to Deregulate Genetically Engineered Sugar Beets," USDA, July 19, 2012.
 * Genuity Roundup Ready Sugarbeets, Monsanto.
 * GM Crop Database, Center for Environmental Risk Assessment
 * Overview of GMO Events Commercially Available and Regulatory Status
 * Novel Food Decisions - Approved Products, Health Canada.
 * Charles Benbrook, "Impacts of Genetically Engineered Crops on Pesticide Use: The First Thirteen Years" and Supplemental Tables, The Organic Center, 2009.
 * "Failure to Yield: Evaluating the Performance of Genetically Engineered Crops," Union of Concerned Scientists, 2009.

External articles

 * Andrew Pollack, "Judge Revokes Approval of Modified Sugar Beets," New York Times, August 13, 2010.