The Minnesota Court of Appeals recently ruled that large organic farms can now sue for lost crops and damages caused by the illegal trespassing of pesticides and herbicides on its property. For certified organic farms, even a small bit of contamination from pesticide drift can result in the loss of a whole season’s crops, and potentially require the land to lie fallow for at least a couple of years until the chemicals can be purged from the soil. The ruling from the Minnesota Appeals Court declared that particulate matter, including pesticides, herbicides, and even genetically modified (GM) particulates that contaminate nearby fields, is subject to the same laws as other forms of illegal trespass. The Minnesota case appears to have set an encouraging legal precedent. California too is beginning to hold factory farming operations responsible for the damage their systems cause to organic farms. Click here to read more.
[Photo by Andy Powell]
