in September, in violation of the injunction, Judge White ordered the destruction of the crops. It was the first time that GEO crops were ever ordered to be destroyed by a US court. Farmers in the sugar beet industry reported that there was not enough non-GE seed left. The government warned that the US was faced with a potential 20% reduction in sugar production. On February 4, 2011, at the request of Monsanto and a German seed company named KWS, the USDA proceeded with a "partial deregulation" that will allow planting to continue until the EIS is complete and a final ruling is made. Local environmental activists were dismayed by this decision and took it as a defeat. The partial deregulation requires farmers of GE seed to take measures to prevent cross-pollination. They are not allowed to plant within three miles of non-GE crops, for instance, and they are subject to government inspections. Opponents of the decision contend that these protections will be inadequate. The ruling came the day after a consortium of the nation's largest organic food distributors including Whole Foods, Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farm, agreed to no longer oppose the propagation of RRA and GE crops in general. Evaluation As yet, there is little available data on the outcome of the measure. It has remained on the books and has continued to be enforced within its jurisdictional boundaries. Appropriate measures of evaluation stem from the measure’s stated goals "The people of Mendocino County wish to protect the county’s agriculture, environment, economy, and private property from genetic pollution by genetically modified organisms." This policy goal lacks definition of the term "genetic pollution". Taken at face value, from an empirical standpoint, it could be seen as having failed in that GEOs certainly have migrated across jurisdictional boundaries. Many commercial food products contain GEOs, which residents of the county have been buying unknowingly since there are still no federal laws requiring their labeling. GE corn products, in particular, have become ubiquitous as additives in food processing. Furthermore, since the term "genetic pollution" is left undefined, even if cross-pollination has occurred, whether nor not it is considered pollution will vary according to the stakeholder. In the broader sense of the policy’s purpose as a political tool to impede the advancement of the biotechnology industry and the spread of "GE crops" generally, the ensuing nationwide regulatory debate over jurisdictional issues with similar