Over GM crop trial: The anti-GM lobby group in New Zealand has challenged the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA) for approving 10-year-field trials for genetically modified brassicas. GE-Free New Zealand, an NGO, has filed a lawsuit at the Wellington High Court. It claims that ERMA's approval was seriously flawed since it did not mandate testing by the company, Crop and Food, for adverse effects as required under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act. "We believe that field testing is not only about checking short-term contamination by GM crops but also to find out what kind of long-term dangers it might pose to the environment, animals and humans,' says Claire Bleakley of GE Free. The company contends it is not ERMA's responsibility to direct how they carry out their research.

Over fake organic milk: Consumers in the US city of Boulder have filed a lawsuit against the Colorado-based Aurora Organic Dairy for labelling the products "organic' even though they do not meet federal organic standards. The group has also sued some of the nation's largest retailers, including Wal-Mart stores and Wild OatsMarket, for putting the fake products on shelves.