A food safety group has filed suit against federal regulators over the U.S. Department of Agriculture's recent approval of genetically modified alfalfa, extending an already long legal battle over the modified crops.

The Center for Food Safety said the department's decision was based on faulty information and that the modified alfalfa will contaminate conventional or organic plants, hurting the organic industry. The plaintiffs in the suit include dairy farmers who say the modified plants could harm the forage for their cows.

"Approving the unrestricted planting of [genetically engineered] alfalfa is a blatant case of the USDA serving one form of agriculture at the expense of others," said plaintiff Ed Maltby, executive director of the Northeast Alliance of Organic Dairy Producers.

The Monsanto-produced alfalfa is designed to withstand the herbicide Roundup, which can kill weeds around the crop. In a statement Friday, the company said it was "reviewing allegations" and affirmed that its modified alfalfa is "as safe as conventional alfalfa."

USDA had initially approved the plant in 2005, but the decision was challenged by the Center for Food Safety. A judge banned future planting, launching a series of appeals that ended last year when the Supreme Court lifted the ban on the condition that the department complete an environmental impact statement.

The statement was completed in December, and last month federal officials agreed to deregulate the plant (Georgina Gustin, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 19). -- JP