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The '''"Monsanto Protection Act"''' refers to an effort within Congress to allow [[genetically engineered]] crops ([[GMOs]]) to remain in the ground during the course of any court challenges. The move comes in the wake of successful court challenges by opponents of [[genetic engineering]] to two crops, [[Roundup Ready Alfalfa]] and [[Roundup Ready Sugarbeets]]. The name "Monsanto Protection Act" was given to this clause by opponents of genetic engineering such as the [[Organic Consumers Association]] and the [[Alliance for Natural Health]].<ref name="Natural News">Jonathan Benson, "[http://www.naturalnews.com/036477_Monsanto_immunity_GM_crops.html 'Monsanto Protection Act' to grant biotech industry total immunity over GM crops?]," Natural News, July 15, 2012.</ref> Advocates of biotechnology refer to it as the "farmer assurance provision."<ref name="Natural News"/>

The specific clause lies within H.R. 5973: Agriculture Appropriations Bill, Section 733. The House Agriculture Appropriations bill, sponsored by Rep. [[Jack Kingston]] (R-GA), was introduced and passed out of committee on June 20, 2012.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/hr5973 H.R. 5973: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013], Govtrack.us.</ref> It read, in part:

In other words, if a court overturns or issues an injunction for the USDA's deregulation of a genetically engineered crop, any farmer can ask the USDA for a permit to continue growing that crop and the USDA ''must'' provide it.

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