Watch CBS News

Groups Sue To Stop Use Of GMO Crops In Refuges

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to stop planting genetically modified crops in wildlife refuges in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri.

The federal lawsuit was filed Tuesday in California by the Center for Food Safety, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the Sierra Club, and Beyond Pesticides.

It alleges the Fish and Wildlife Service unlawfully entered into farming contracts on five refuges in the four states without an environmental analysis required by federal law.

The lawsuit also seeks to have the service end blanket pesticide use in the national wildlife refuges until environmental impact studies are done.

A similar lawsuit halted the practice of planting GMOs in refuges in several states the northeast and in the southeast.

(© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.