Reduce GM migration | Forage Genetics International will apply for commercial registration once issues have been addressed
Posted Nov. 9th, 2012 by Brian Cross http://www.producer.com/2012/11/plan-to-pave-way-for-roundup-ready-alfalfa%E2%80%A9/
The Canadian seed industry is working on a plan that could set the table for the commercialization of Roundup Ready alfalfa in Eastern Canada as early as next year.
Continue reading
http://earthopensource.org/files/pdfs/GMO_Myths_and_Truths/GMO_Myths_Truths_press-final_EU.pdf
This is a really important study so we are posting the summary in full. This is probably the most definitive report to date to show us we don’t need GE foods.
Why genetically engineered food is dangerous: New report by genetic engineers Earth Open Source 17 June 2012
The report called “GMO Myths and Truths, An evidence-based examination of the claims made for the safety and efficacy of genetically modified crops”, by Michael Antoniou, PhD, Claire Robinson, and John Fagan, PhD is published by Earth Open Source. The report is 123 pages long and contains over 600 citations, many of them from the peer-reviewed scientific literature and the rest from reports by scientists, physicians, government bodies, industry, and the media. The report is available here:http://earthopensource.org/index.php/reports/58 A shorter summary version will be released in the coming weeks. Below are some key points from the report. Continue reading
Posted in Food Security, GE crops
Tagged Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Bt Toxin, Dow AgroSciences, FDA, GE Foods, Glyphosate, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Monsanto, Roundup Ready, Superweeds, Syngenta
2. Send your letter to the Minister of Agriculture instantly from http://www.cban.ca/alfalfaaction1
3. Find more information and action – get more involved at http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa
Posted in Food Security, Ge alfalfa
Tagged Biotech Companies, GM Alfalfa, GM crops, GMO, Monsanto, Roundup Ready, Small Farmer, Take Action!
From CountryWorld Online
For the first time since 2006, Roundup Ready alfalfa has been planted, despite suits that aimed to block the action. Continue reading
(NaturalNews) For those of us wondering how bad the untested genetically modified food experiment is going to get before it gets any better, a ray of hope was just offered. A San Francisco judge, the very honorable, Judge Jeffrey White just ruled that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service violated environmental law because of inadequate environmental testing of genetically modified sugar beets. He ruled that the agency failed to see if the genetically altered beets would eventually share their funky pesticide proof genes with other crops. Judge White noted that pollen from sugar beets can be blown long distances and pollinate other crops, including table beets and chard.
White wrote, “The potential elimination of farmers’ choice to grow non-genetically engineered crops, or consumers’ choice to eat non-genetically engineered food … has a significant effect on the human environment.”
By Carey Gillam
Following the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court on GE alfalfa – that means that it is illegal to plant Monsanto’s GE alfalfa, at least until the U.S. government has finished its environmental review.
Now, 50 U.S. politicians – Democrats and Republicans – are calling for a
continued ban even after the environment review. (This shows the
importance of this issue and is yet another indication that the fight on
GE alfalfa is far from a done deal even in the U.S!) Write to your MP and
ask them to do the same as the US politicians – send a letter instantly
from http://www.cban.ca/474action
**U.S. lawmakers call for continued ban on biotech alfalfa*
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2326472520100623
* Say USDA has “ignored” regulatory authority
* Say U.S. organic dairy industry threatened
KANSAS CITY, June 23 (Reuters) – More than 50 U.S. lawmakers are calling on the U.S. Agriculture Department to keep Monsanto’s (MON.N) biotech alfalfa out of farm fields, despite a Supreme Court ruling this week that cleared the way for limited planting pending environmental reviews.
The lawmakers said the biotech alfalfa presents too great a risk to
conventional and organic agriculture to ever allow it.
“We believe that the broad regulatory authority available to you has been ignored, in order to justify deregulation of a biotech crop that has limited utility to anyone except the manufacturer,” the letter addressed to Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack said.
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, a Democrat from Oregon, were joined by 49 other representatives and five
other senators in asking Vilsack to ensure that Monsanto’s genetically
engineered alfalfa is not approved for commercial use.
Please see below the very clear article by Andy Kimbrell of the Center for
Food Safety in Huffington Post, explaining the difference between
Monsanto’s spin and the reality of the US Supreme Court decision against
Monsanto’s GM alfalfa. For more information please also see
www.truefoodnow.org
(You can also write your MP at http://www.cban.ca/474action )
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kimbrell/supreme-court-case-a-defe_b_620087.html
It should be no surprise that Monsanto’s PR machine is working hard to spin
the truth in this morning’s decision in the first-ever Supreme Court case on
genetically engineered crops (*Monsanto v. Geertson Seed Farms*). Despite
what the biotech seed giant is claiming, today’s ruling isn’t close to the
victory they were hoping for.
High court ruled that the ban on GMO alfalfa remains intact, and that the planting and sale of GMO alfalfa remains illegal.
The 7-1 decision issued today by the Supreme Court was on the appeal of the
Center for Food Safety’s (CFS) successful suit, which resulted in a ban on
GMO alfalfa. And, while the High Court ruled in favor of Monsanto by
reversing an injunction that was part of the lower court’s decision, more
importantly, it also ruled that the ban on GMO alfalfa remains intact, and
that the planting and sale of GMO alfalfa remains illegal.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a case brought by
Monsanto to stop the current injunction on planting GM alfalfa in the
U.S., has upheld the injunction! The National Farmers Union brought
forward Canada’s experience with GM canola to support the case. Now the US Department of Agriculture will be the deciding party on GM alfalfa – they
are preparing their final Environmental Impact Statement (as ordered by
the courts). Canadian groups also submitted comments to the USDA as part
of this process.
You can write to your MP today to support alfalfa farmers and request that
your MP supports Bill C-474 http://www.cban.ca/474action
July 21
SUPREME COURT ruling in “Monsanto Case” is victory for Center for Food Safety, Farmers
High Court Delivers Ruling That Leaves Ban on Planting of Roundup Ready Alfalfa in Place in First-Ever Case on a Genetically-engineered Crop
Washington, DC June 21, 2010 – The Center for Food Safety today celebratedthe United States Supreme Court’s decision in Monsanto v. Geerston Farms, the first genetically modified crop case ever brought before the Supreme Court. Although the High Court decision reverses parts of the lower courts’ rulings, the judgment holds that a vacatur bars the planting of
Monsanto’s Roundup Ready Alfalfa until and unless future deregulation
occurs. It is a victory for the Center for Food Safety and the Farmers
and Consumers it represents.
Posted in American Politics & Food, Biotech Companies, Canadian Politics & Food, CBAN, Food Security, Monsanto, World GE Politics
Tagged Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Canadian Food Politics, CBAN, Center For Food Safety, Farmers Sue USDA, Food Security, Geertson Farms, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Monsanto, Roundup Ready, USDA
Update on Bill C-474: Hearings to continue in the Fall, New action
option coming later this week.
June 14, 2010
The House of Commons Agriculture Committee hearings on Bill C-474 got
off to a shaky start as the first hearing on June 2nd was interrupted
by votes in the House and there was only one other hearing, on June
7th. Hearings may now be suspended until the Fall, to be followed by a
final vote (possibly in October).
On June 2, Bill sponsor NDP Agriculture Critic Alex Atamanenko
testified as well as industry associations. On June 7, alfalfa
producers testified in strong support of Bill C-474. The transcript
from June 7 is not yet available.
April: There just wasn’t enough time in the day to post the really good stuff in full, so I am going to start listing the links to articles I think you may want or need.
HRAC members decide to boycott Genetically Modified foods
French Wine to Be Modified Genetically
Prisoners turn over a new leaf with eye on environment
Orwell-Speak Award Goes to Canada’s GM “Enviropig”
Protesters Block Monsanto in the Netherlands – Demanding End to GMOs
Facebook Page (Arzeena Hamir, GE Free Steering Committee) on Roger’s Sugar: asking us to send Roger’s an email on GMO Sugarbeets. Please let Roger’s know that you will not buy their products anymore.
Chemtrails and Monsanto’s New Aluminum Resistance Gene – Coincidence?
Posted in American Politics & Food, Animal Health and GMO, BioFuels, Biotech Companies, Canadian Politics & Food, CBAN, Food Security, GE Corn, GE Flax, GE Soy, Herbicides, Monsanto, Pesticides, Take Action!, World GE Politics
Tagged April Reeves, Ban GM crops, Bayer CropScience, Biotech Companies, Center For Food Safety, Dow AgroSciences, Food Security, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Monsanto, Roger's Sugar, Roundup Ready, Small Farmer, Take Action!, USDA
Written by April Reeves, Director, GE Free BC
I was forwarded this email today from a colleague. It’s a response from Conservative MP Alice Wong regarding their stance on Bill C-474. This response clearly states how little the Conservative party thinks about our rights, freedom, and intelligence. Read on:
Dear Alice Wong, MP, Richmond, Conservative Party,
On April 28, 2010, you sent a response to a fellow named ‘Bruno Vernier’ regarding Bill C-474. I would like to remind you of this email, and I have a few comments about your response you should hear. Your email:
Dear Bruno,
You are absolutely correct that we are to represent the citizens of Richmond,
and that most of the e-mails we received asked us to vote for C-474. However,
our Parliamentary system isn’t totally based on referendum or constituency
majority wishes. An MP isn’t just elected to a “puppet” of the electorate.
They are elected for their ability to lead as well as for their willingness to
follow consensus. Yes, a good MP works hard at listening to his or her
consitutents and representing them well. But by electing an MP, constituents
are also placing on them a mantle of authority, a “trust quotient” if you
will, to go to Ottawa and vote as they see best on issues of national
importance. This may not always be the “popular” position and ultimately each
MP faces accountability for that at the election booth. But they will also
run for reelection on their expertise and skill, not just on being a “puppet”
of constituents’ wishes. Parliamentary democracy has a lot of nuances to it
and there are some grey areas in how it plays itself out on the daily
political arena. The main objective of both sides was to support Canadian
farmers, and we listened to the large number of farmers who asked the
government to defeat this bill.
Voting against the C-474 was not an attempt to stifle debate over the issue.
Back in October 27, 2009, the Agriculture Committee passed a motion to study
genetically modified organisms, and the first hearing on the subject was held
on December 3. We agree that we should have a debate on the issue of GMOs in
committee; approving the substance of the bill in principle was not necessary
to facilitate that debate.
Although we have two differing opinions on the issue, I wish to thank you for
your civility and sharp grasp of the issues you advocate. We receive many
generic e-mails asking for support for different issues, but only a few take
the time to share their personal views and articulate them so well. Thank you
for dialoguing with us.
All the best,
Micah Au, Constituency Office of Alice Wong, MP for Richmond
– – –
Lets start at the beginning.
First off, you DO in fact work for the people who voted you in. It’s called Democracy, a term the Conservatives have forgotten about.
Posted in Biotech Companies, Canadian Politics & Food, CBAN, Food Security, Herbicides, Monsanto, Non-GE foods, Organic Growers & Seeds, Pesticides, Take Action!, Terminator Seed, World Food Politics, World GE Politics
Tagged Alice Wong, April Reeves, Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Canadian Food Politics, CBAN, Conservative Party, Democracy, Food Security, GM Alfalfa, GM crops, GMO, James Lunney, Monsanto, NDP, Non-GMO Foods, Organic farmers, Propaganda, Richmond MP, Ron Canna, Small Farmer, SmartStax Corn, Support Bill C-474, World Hunger
April: while this case may appear to be about GE alfalfa contaminating organic crops, it has a secondary, and in my opinion, worse outcome.
Monsanto is petitioning for an injunction to stop any future law suit against them for anything. This is the worst part, as no one could ever take them to court again for anything: this is very broad: crop damage, human diseases, environmental failures and chemical contamination.
What does this mean? Now we can only sit back and watch, as Monsanto can now do whatever they want, to whomever they please. And we can’t do a thing about it, legally.
Here is a lengthy post filled with information about the beginnings of this historic case. Remember fellow Canadians, this could be us. Bees don’t need passports. We wait on the edge of our seats to hear the outcome….
Supreme Court to take first look at Genetically Modified Crops in Case
with NEPA Implications
The New York Times, USA by Gabriel Nelson 22.04.2010
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments Tuesday
involving a federal judge?s temporary ban on a breed of pesticide-
resistant alfalfa, setting the stage for the court’s first-ever ruling
on genetically modified crops.
Legal experts do not expect a blockbuster decision on the merits of
regulating modified plants such as Monsanto Co.’s Roundup Ready
alfalfa, but the case, Monsanto Co. v. Geertson Seed Farms, has drawn
widespread interest because the justices could issue a ruling that
would raise or lower the threshold for challenges under the National
Environmental Policy Act.
Environmental groups, which frequently use the statute to bring
lawsuits against government agencies and industry groups, ‘don’t
expect anything good’ to come from the Supreme Court’s eventual
decision, said David Bookbinder, chief climate counsel at the Sierra
Club. It seems that some of the justices are ‘on a kick to gut NEPA
remedies,’ he said earlier this year during a panel discussion on
environmental law at Georgetown University.
Posted in American Politics & Food, Biotech Companies, Food Security, Monsanto, Organic Growers & Seeds, Take Action!, World GE Politics
Tagged Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Court injunction, Freedom, GE Alfalfa, Geertson Farms, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Human rights, Monsanto, Roundup Ready, TNC's, US Supreme Court, USDA
Monsanto Co. filed a final reply brief with the U.S. Supreme Court this week in preparation for oral arguments scheduled for Tuesday on the biotech company’s challenge to a three-year-old ban on planting its genetically modified alfalfa seeds.
“This case is about fairness and choice for farmers,” said David Snively, Monsanto’s general counsel. “Farmers should be able to count on USDA approvals of biotech crops and know that any challenges to those approvals will be reviewed based on scientific evidence.”
In January, the Supreme Court said it would consider overturning a 2007 court order that has blocked Monsanto from selling alfalfa seeds that are genetically modified to resist its Roundup weed killer.
Five friends-of-the-court briefs have been filed in support of Monsanto by a total of 18 groups: American Farm Bureau Federation, Biotechnology Industry Organization, American Seed Trade Association, American Soybean Association, National Alfalfa and Forage Alliance, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Cotton Council and National Potato Council, Sugarbeet Growers Association, U.S. Beet Sugar Association and National Corn Growers Association, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, American Petroleum Institute, National Association of Home Builders, CropLife America, The Washington Legal Foundation, Allied Education Foundation and the Pacific Legal Foundation. Find all of Monsanto’s court briefs in the alfalfa case here.
FYI: As of April 14, Bill C-474 was passed to the next ’round’. There is a God!
PRIVATE MEMBERS’ BUSINESS
Note from April: lots of valuable information here…
SEEDS REGULATIONS ACT
The House resumed from March 17 consideration of the motion
that Bill C-474, An Act respecting the Seeds Regulations (analysis of
potential harm), be read the second time and referred to a committee.
Hon. Wayne Easter (Malpeque, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I appreciate
the opportunity to speak to Bill C-474. The intent of Bill C-474, an
act to amend seeds regulations, is to “require that an analysis of
potential harm to export markets be conducted before the sale of any
new genetically engineered seed is permitted”. The intent of this bill
is to require that the federal government amend the seeds regulations in order to require that that analysis be undertaken.
I will admit that I have mixed opinions on this bill, but I will say
off the top of this debate that I am willing to allow the bill to go to
committee. What in part prompted this legislation was the discovery,
beginning in Europe in July 2009, that Canadian flax exports were
contaminated with the genetically modified flax, Triffid. The
presence of the GM flax was found first in Germany in cereal and
bakery products.
Deconstructing Dinner is a web radio show from Nelson BC, a GE free zone.
This audio has over an hour of debate on Alex Atamanenko’s Bill C-474 that amends the seed act. There needs to be a mechanism in place to protect them from GE contamination of Non-GE crops and shipments. Alfalfa and wheat are the two main crops in question: what will happen to organic crops once GE is allowed in to Canada?
Deconstructing Dinner ‘deconstructs’ the debate as it goes along. Good reference for anyone wanting better information on this Bill.
If anyone would like to “correct” the Canadian Curling
Association, you can write to Greg Stremlaw, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Curling Association 613-834-2076, ext 117
gstremlaw@curling.ca 1660 Vimont Court Cumberland, Ontario K4A 4J4
Halifax, Thursday, March 11, 2010 “The corporate sponsor of this
week’s Brier, biotechnology company Monsanto, is under intense
scrutiny from environmental, consumer and farmer groups in Nova
Scotia, and across Canada and the world.
“Many curling fans might be shocked to learn that the Brier sponsor
Monsanto is at the centre of farmer and consumer battles over
genetically engineered seeds and increasing corporate control in
farming,” said Marla MacLeod of Ecology Action Centre, a Nova Scotia-
wide environmental group. “We are saddened that the great Brier
championship is now associated with this relentlessly controversial
company,” said MacLeod.
Continue reading
Canadian Farm and Consumer Groups Urge U.S. Department of Agriculture to Stop Monsanto’s New GE Seed
Saskatoon, March 3, 2010 – Today a number of prominent Canadian farmer and consumer groups urged the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
not to permit the introduction of Monsanto’s genetically engineered
(GE) alfalfa in the U.S., citing serious concerns about the future of
organic food and farming in North America.
Is the US is blindly pushing GE Alfalfa through, with other crops to follow?
The USDA invited comments on their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of allowing Monsanto’s GE (herbicide tolerant) alfalfa. Canadian groups including the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, Beyond Factory Farming, and the National Farmers Union – responded by submitting highly critical analyses to the USDA. They argue that GE alfalfa plantings in the U.S. would contaminate Canadian alfalfa and cause serious harm to Canadian farmers and the environment.
Continue reading
Posted in American Politics & Food, Biotech Companies, Canadian Politics & Food, CBAN, Food Security, Monsanto, Take Action!, World GE Politics
Tagged Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Canadian farmers, Canadian Food Politics, CBAN, Environmental damage, Environmental Impact statement, Food Security, GE Foods, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Lucy Sharratt, Monsanto, USDA
Date: 17-Feb-06
Country: USA
Author: Carey Gillam
Opening another front in the battle over genetically modified crops, the lawsuit contends that the US Department of Agriculture improperly is allowing Monsanto Co to sell an herbicide-resistant alfalfa seed while failing to analyse the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of that action.
“The USDA failed to do a full environmental review when they deregulated this genetically engineered alfalfa,” said Will Rastov, an attorney for Center for Food Safety, one of the plaintiffs. “They’re going to wreak untold dangers into the environment.”
Protect Organic Food! Support Organic Farmers!
The U.S. will approve Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa
unless we stop them. Organic food and farming in the U.S. and Canada
is under immediate threat.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released its draft
Environmental Impact Statement on GE alfalfa and is accepting comments
until end of day Feb 16, 2010.
They say:
– Contamination of organic food from GE alfalfa will happen but
it doesn’t really matter.
– Consumers don’t care if organic food is contaminated with GE
alfalfa.
– GE alfalfa will result in fewer small farmers and fewer
organic farmers but that’s okay.
Tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) you DO care about
organic food and organic farmers!
Organic farming bans the use of genetically engineered organisms. Stop
Monsanto from destroying organic farming in the U.S. and Canada!
1. A sample letter – for Canadian organic consumers to send – is
below. You can submit your letter at (copy and paste the whole URL) :www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment
?R=0900006480a6b7a1
2. We also invite all organizations, producer associations, companies
and community groups to endorse the No to GE Alfalfa campaign by
signing on the statement opposing GE alfalfa in Canada. Go here to
sign on http://www.cban.ca/content/view/full/631
For more information, action and background: http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa
Sample Letter:
Continue reading
Posted in American Politics & Food, Biotech Companies, Canadian Politics & Food, Food Security, Monsanto, World GE Politics
Tagged Ban GM crops, Biotech Companies, Canadian Food Politics, CBAN, Certified Organics, Food Secure, GE Foods, GM Alfalfa, GMO, Lucy Sharratt, Non-GMO Foods, Organic Seed, Organics, Small Farmer, Sustainability
Send your comments to the US Department of Agriculture by February 16,
2010.
Its not yet legal for Monsanto to sell its GM alfalfa seeds in Canada
but a US injunction on planting in that country could soon be
overturned. If GM alfalfa is planted in the US, it will quickly
contaminate our food system as well as Canadian alfalfa crops. It will
also lead to the legalization of GM alfalfa in Canada (Canada approved
Monsanto’s GM Roundup Ready alfalfa in 2005 but it still needs variety
registration as a last step before commercialization here).
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) was court-ordered to conduct
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on alfalfa and GM alfalfa
plantings were halted until this EIS was satisfactorily completed.
This draft EIS is now out for comment until February 16. Farmers and
their organizations in Canada are encouraged to send comments about
the expected impact of GM alfalfa contamination. Consumers are also
asked to express their concern.
Our strong action could stop GM alfalfa and result in an unprecedented
ruling about the real contamination risks of GM.
Please take one of these three actions.
1. Send comments from the web: Our partner in the US, The Center of
Food Safety, has launched an action where consumers and farmers can
send comments from their website http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS
2. Coordinate with us to write your substantial comments – Please also
send us your comments and cc them to the Minister of Agriculture and
Agriculture Critics from other Parties. Contact Lucy Sharratt, CBAN
Coordinator at 613 241 2267 ext.6 or coordinator@cban.ca
3. Sign your group to the “No to GMO Alfalfa” statement http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa
The “No to GMO Alfalfa” Campaign in Canada is coordinated by the
Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of the Saskatchewan Organic
Directorate and the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
For more information: http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa coordinator@cban.ca
613 241 2267 ext. 6
Tell the US Government That You Care About GE Contamination of Organic
Food!
In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of
Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically
engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. The federal courts sided with
CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of
the plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in a rigorous
analysis known as an environmental impact statement (or EIS). USDA
released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period
is now open until February 16, 2010. This is the first time the USDA
has done this type of analysis for any GE crop. Therefore, the final
decision will have broad implications for all GE crops.
CFS has begun analyzing the EIS and it is clear that the USDA has not
taken the concerns of non-GE alfalfa farmers, organic dairies, or
consumers seriously. USDA’s preliminary determination is to once
again deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for
farmers or the environment. Instead USDA has completely dismissed the
fact that contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and
organic meat and dairy products. And, incredibly, USDA is claiming
that there is no evidence that consumers care about such GE
contamination of organic!
USDA also claims that consumers will not reject GE contamination of
organic alfalfa if the contamination is unintentional or if the
transgenic material is not transmitted to the end milk or meat
product, despite the fact that more than 75% of consumers believe that
they are purchasing products without GE ingredients when they buy
organic.
USDA claims that Monsanto’s seed contracts require measures sufficient
to prevent genetic contamination, and that there is no evidence to the
contrary. But in the lawsuit requiring this document, the Court found
that contamination had already occurred in the fields of several
Western states with these same business-as-usual practices in place!
USDA predicts that the approval of GE alfalfa would damage family
farms and organic markets, yet doesn’t even consider any limitations
or protections against this scenario. Small, family farmers are the
backbone and future of American agriculture and must be protected.
Organic agriculture provides many benefits to society: healthy foods
for consumers, economic opportunities for family farmers and urban and
rural communities, and a farming system that improves the quality of
the environment. However, the continued vitality of this sector is
imperiled by the complete absence of measures to protect organic
production systems from GE contamination and subsequent environmental,
consumer, and economic losses.
Tell USDA That You DO Care About GE Contamination of Organic Crops and
Food! http://ga3.org/campaign/alfalfaEIS
This alert was published by the Organic Agriculture Protection Fund of
the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate and the Canadian Biotechnology
Action Network. January 2010.
Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
431 Gilmour Street, Second Floor
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 0R5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext.6
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
www.cban.ca
(21 January 2010) In the USA, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) intends to permit the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) alfalfa once more. This recommendation is based on a newly-completed environmental impact assessment. Year-long legal conflicts were antecedent.
From GMO Compass, a good resource site
The cultivation approval of herbicide-tolerant GM alfalfa issued in 2005 was revoked in 2007 after a Californian court ordered the thorough environmental impact assessment. Diverse environmental groups and consumer associations had filed suit against the approval. The plaintiffs accused the administration of insufficient investigation with regard to possible environmental damage, such as may occur through outcrossing with conventional plants or wild relatives as well as through the spread of resistant weeds.
The GM alfalfa was developed by the agro-biotechnology firm Monsanto and displays tolerance to herbicide containing the active ingredient 
glyphosate (RoundupReady).
By court ordinance, the cultivation of GM alfalfa was subject to strict constraints: for example, fields intended for planting required approval from the agricultural authority. Special obligations applied to the transport, storage and labeling of the harvest. Monsanto filed high-level suits against these constraints and negotiations are expected this year.
Posted in American Politics & Food, Biotech Companies, Food Security, Monsanto
Tagged Ban GM crops, Food Security, GE Foods, GM Alfalfa, GM Sugarbeet, GMO, Monsanto, Roundup Ready, USDA
GE Free BC 