ACTION: Tell the USDA to Reject GM Alfalfa!

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Mar 03, 2010 at 13:36:19 PM PST

Food Democracy Now says:

During the Bush administration, Monsanto illegally won USDA approval for its GMO alfalfa by convincing USDA regulators to bypass a mandatory environmental review. In 2007, a court reversed this decision, ordering the USDA to complete the legally required environmental impact statement (EIS).

Shockingly, the Obama Administration's recent review would approve Monsanto's GMO alfalfa.

The draft USDA EIS was issued in December 2009 and is poised to allow Monsanto's GMO alfalfa on the market, despite the fact that the USDA admits that these seeds will contaminate organic feed that organic dairy farmers rely on to produce organic milk.

According to the CEO of the largest farmer-owned organic dairy coop in the U.S., GMO alfalfa "threatens the very fabric of the organic industry." We can't allow this to happen.

Despite massive public outcry in the past, the USDA's environmental review went so far as to say that U.S. organic consumers don't care about GMO contamination.

Tell Secretary Vilsack that you care about organic contamination and that you want him to stand up for the organic industry and organic consumers.

What you can do BY END OF DAY TODAY:

1) Calling is absolutely the best, and the hold time is not onerous:
White House Comments: 202-456-1111

2) It's also a good idea to submit a written comment by email:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

And also to the USDA:

3) Kathleen Merrigan
Kathleen.Merrigan@usda.gov

4) Tom Vilsack's office
202-720-3631 (they will refer you to the comment line below, but calls might make an impression)

5) and last but not least, USDA Animal Plant Inspection Office Comment Line!!! if this is the ONE call you make:

202-720-3668

How to Grow Sprouts

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Jan 04, 2010 at 16:03:53 PM PST

Court Upholds Ban on GE Alfalfa!

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 13:03:07 PM PDT

Two years ago, a district court ruled that the USDA did not do its homework before approving genetically engineered alfalfa. The USDA approved GE alfalfa without a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which the court ruled was a violation of U.S. law. Last year, the Ninth Circuit Court upheld that decision and its resulting ban on GE alfalfa (pending a full EIS). The suit was brought against the USDA by the Center for Food Safety along with Western Organization of Resource Councils, National Family Farm Coalition, Sierra Club, Beyond Pesticides, Cornucopia Institute, Dakota Resource Council, Trask Family Seeds, and Geertson Seed Farms.

Following that decision, Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics (who entered into the suit as Defendant-Intervenors) requested the appellate court to rehear the case. The news today is that the court denied their request and thus reaffirmed the earlier decision in full.

According to the Center for Food Safety:

The Court determined that the planting of genetically modified alfalfa can result in potentially irreversible harm to organic and conventional varieties of crops, damage to the environment, and economic harm to farmers...

"This ruling affirms a major victory for consumers, ranchers, organic farmers, and most conventional farmers across the country," said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director of the Center for Food Safety. "Roundup Ready Alfalfa represents a very real threat to farmers' livelihoods and the environment; the court rightly dismissed Monsanto's claims that their bottom line should come before the rights of the public and America's farmers.  This ruling is a turning point in the regulation of biotech crops in this country."

My question is: Why doesn't the USDA just do a full EIS? It's been two years since the initial decision? Are they afraid that a full EIS would reveal information that would prevent them from approving GE alfalfa? Or was it just quicker and easier to fight the court decision instead of doing the EIS?