The Center for Food Safety:
ROGUE AGENCY CHOOSES "BUSINESS AS USUAL" OVER SOUND SCIENCE
CENTER ANNOUNCES IMMEDIATE LEGAL CHALLENGE TO USDA'S FLAWED ASSESSMENT
The Center for Food Safety criticized the announcement today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will once again allow unlimited, nation-wide commercial planting of Monsanto's genetically-engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite the many risks to organic and conventional farmers USDA acknowledged in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). On a call today with stakeholders, Secretary Vilsack reiterated the concerns surrounding purity and access to non-GE seed, yet the Agency's decision still places the entire burden for preventing contamination on non-GE farmers, with no protections for food producers, consumers and exporters.
"We're disappointed with USDA's decision and we will be back in court representing the interest of farmers, preservation of the environment, and consumer choice" said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. "USDA has become a rogue agency in its regulation of biotech crops and its decision to appease the few companies who seek to benefit from this technology comes despite increasing evidence that GE alfalfa will threaten the rights of farmers and consumers, as well as damage the environment."
On Monday, the Center sent an open letter to Secretary Vilsack calling on USDA to base its decision on sound science and the interests of farmers, and to avoid rushing the process to meet the marketing timelines or sales targets of Monsanto, Forage Genetics or other entities.
CFS also addressed several key points that were not properly assessed in the FEIS, among them were:
- Liability, Implementation and Oversight - Citing over 200 past contamination episodes that have cost farmers hundreds of millions of dollars in lost sales, CFS demands that liability for financial losses incurred by farmers due to transgenic contamination be assigned to the crop developers. CFS also calls on USDA to take a more active oversight role to ensure that any stewardship plans are properly implemented and enforced.
- Roundup Ready alfalfa will substantially increase herbicide use - USDA's assessment misrepresented conventional alfalfa as utilizing more herbicides than it does, which in turn provided a false rationale for introducing herbicide-promoting Roundup Ready alfalfa. In fact, USDA's own data shows that just 7% of alfalfa hay acres are treated with herbicides. USDA's projections in the FEIS show that substantial adoption of Roundup Ready alfalfa would trigger large increases in herbicide use of up to 23 million lbs. per year.
- Harms from glyphosate-resistant weeds - USDA's sloppy and unscientific treatment of glyphosate-resistant (GR) weeds ignored the significant contribution that RR alfalfa could make to their rapid evolution. USDA failed to analyze how GR weeds fostered by currently grown RR crops are increasing herbicide use; spurring more use of soil-eroding tillage; and reducing farmer income through increased weed control costs, an essential baseline analysis.
"We in the farm sector are dissatisfied but not surprised at the lack of courage from USDA to stop Roundup Ready alfalfa and defend family farmers," said Pat Trask, conventional alfalfa grower and plaintiff in the alfalfa litigation.
The FEIS comes in response to a 2007 lawsuit brought by CFS, in which a federal court ruled that the USDA's approval of GE alfalfa violated environmental laws by failing to analyze risks such as the contamination of conventional and organic alfalfa, the evolution of glyphosate-resistant weeds, and increased use of glyphosate herbicide, sold by Monsanto as Roundup. The Court banned new plantings of GE alfalfa until USDA completed a more comprehensive assessment of these impacts. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals twice affirmed the national ban on GE alfalfa planting. In June 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on Monsanto's Roundup Ready Alfalfa until and unless future deregulation occurs.
"Last spring more than 200,000 people submitted comments to the USDA highly critical of the substance and conclusions of its Draft EIS on GE Alfalfa," said Kimbrell. "Clearly the USDA was not listening to the public or farmers but rather to just a handful of corporations."
Food and Water Watch:
Once again, Biotech Lobby Tramples Rights of Farmers and Consumers
"We are extremely dismayed that the USDA has buckled under the pressure of biotech industry by deciding to allow the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa. Allowing GE alfalfa will have long-term, far reaching consequences on many aspects of agriculture, putting non-GE and organic seed supplies at risk of contamination by GE alfalfa. The USDA has given lip service to these concerns, but today's decision by the agency demonstrates the financial influence that well-connected biotech lobbyists wield over our federal agencies and Congress.
"Today, in conjunction with the decision to allow unrestricted planting of GE alfalfa, the USDA has also announced a series of measures to try to understand the way that GE alfalfa could contaminate other crops. This is the first time the agency has acknowledged these issues, and unfortunately, these steps should have been taken before the agency decided to release this crop into the food supply, not after.
"The biotech lobby talks about a science-based approach, but they've conveniently neglected the science of nature -- the threat of contamination of non-GE alfalfa fields and the proliferation of "superweeds" that will require even more toxic herbicides and chemicals to contain."
A Food & Water Watch analysis released in November, 2010, found that food and agriculture biotechnology firms and trade associations have hired on as lobbyists at least 13 former members of Congress and over 300 former congressional and White House staffers through well-connected lobbying shops. To download the issue brief, click here: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.o...
National Organic Coalition:
January 27, 2011. The National Organic Coalition (NOC) today is shocked and disappointed over the decision by USDA Secretary Vilsack to de-regulate Genetically Engineered (GE) Alfalfa.
"We appreciate the measures that the Secretary has announced to explore ways to develop the science to protect organic and other non-GE alfalfa farmers from contamination. However, to institute these measures after the GE alfalfa is deregulated defies commonsense," said Michael Sligh, founding member of NOC. "Logically, efforts to develop the science of prevent GMO contamination should precede, not follow, any decision to deregulate GE crops."
De-regulation with no oversight, enforcement or penalties by USDA is a green light for business as usual. Potential contamination from yet another genetically modified crop without independent health and environmental testing, or plans for liability, compensation, and labeling is of grave concern to organic farmers and consumers alike, according to NOC spokespersons.
"Organic and others are now left, once again having to take all the precautions while biotech takes little responsibility," said Liana Hoodes, NOC Director.
In December, Secretary Vilsack brought some stakeholders together to discuss organic, non-GE, and biotech "living together", but no conclusions were reached. The National Organic Coalition participated in some of these meetings and presented concrete recommendations. "We remain resolute in our pursuit of full implementation of these recommendations to protect the interests of organic growers and consumers, said Hoodes.
"It is time for the US government to support more than just the biotech approach to agriculture. Approving the unrestricted planting of GE alfalfa is clearly a case of USDA caving in to special interests over public good."
NOC spokespersons went on to state that the American public has noted in poll after poll that they want the right to know how their food is produced, and demand that GE foods be labeled to preserve their choice.
The National Organic Coalition has a detailed paper outlining its necessary pre-requisites to any approval entitled: GMO Contamination Prevention: What Will It Take? available at: http://www.nationalorganiccoal...
EcoFarm:
EcoFarm Attendees Criticize USDA Decision to Allow GMO Alfalfa
Organic farmers and dairy producers at national conference voice outrage about potential for bio-contamination
Pacific Grove, Calif. January 28, 2011-News that the USDA had approved the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa was greeted with a collective dismay and condemnation by the more than 1,000 attendees from 34 states at the Ecological Farming Association Conference, the largest organic farming conference on the West Coast. "We are appalled by this decision," said pioneering organic farmer Larry Jacobs, President of Jacobs Farm-Del Cabo. "This is a sad day for the future of sustainable agriculture."
Genetic engineering is not allowed under US organic standards. The organic label assures that consumers are not exposed to genetically engineered organisms through their food choices. According to Don Huber Ph.D., emeritus professor at Purdue University, the commercialization of genetically engineered alfalfa could result in the contamination of organic and conventional alfalfa within five years. Such contamination threatens organic markets and diminishes non-contaminated, non-GE seed options for organic producers.
In an official statement yesterday Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, "After conducting a thorough and transparent examination of alfalfa through a multi-alternative environmental impact statement (EIS) and several public comment opportunities, APHIS has determined that Roundup Ready alfalfa is as safe as traditionally bred alfalfa." Alfalfa is the fourth-largest U.S. field crop grown annually on about 23 million acres in the U.S. and is the primary forage crop for dairy production.
"As an organic farmer and an organic dairy processor, the decision to deregulate genetically engineered alfalfa is devastating for our industry and it could put our business at risk," said Albert Straus, President and owner of Straus Family Creamery. "Since 1994, I've been committed to organic principles. We are the first and only dairy brand to achieve Non-GMO Project verification for all of our products."
"Alfalfa is an essential feed for our dairy cows and provides the essential forage in the diet of organic cows, " he continued. "With the potential contamination of organic alfalfa, this could significantly harm the organic dairy industry."
Sustainable food systems advocate Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, agreed with farmers' concerns. "It's hard to understand why the Obama Administration would put the organic industry at risk for the sake of an unnecessary and soon-to-be obsolete product like Round-up Ready alfalfa. This is a bad solution to a problem that doesn't exist, since 93 percent of alfalfa hay is grown without any herbicide at all."
EcoFarm President Thomas Wittman added, "The ruling by the USDA Secretary disregards the organic farmers, the dairy industry, and the environment, and I am confident that the decision will be reversed in court."
The USDA announcement was delivered from the podium at the conference, energizing EcoFarm attendees to mobilize their constituency and question the Obama Administration's commitment to the health and welfare of the American public.
The Ecological Farming Association (EcoFarm) nurtures healthy and just farms, food systems, communities and environment by bringing people together for education, alliance building and advocacy.
House Ag Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK):
WASHINGTON - Today, Chairman Frank Lucas issued the following statement in response to the announcement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Roundup Ready alfalfa. The agency will fully deregulate the product.
"Genetically engineered alfalfa has been subjected to an extensive multi-year review and the conclusion has always been the same: it's safe. A product that has been repeatedly found to be safe should be deregulated. I am pleased that USDA used sound science and respected the limit of its statutory authority to make this decision," said Chairman Frank D. Lucas.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) concluded in a final environmental impact statement (EIS) that genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa does not pose a plant pest risk. Typically, if a product is found to not be a plant pest, USDA deregulates it thereby making it available for commercialization. The House Agriculture Committee held a public forum on January 20 to explore the issue in advance of USDA's decision. |
