Say NO to GMO Alfalfa

I have received a few e-mails from various sources on the need to speak up to keep the ban on GMO Alfalfa.    Alfalfa is key to organic farming in some many different ways.  GMO Alfalfa would compromise farmers and consumers ability to grown and eat organic, non-GMO foods.  Here's the e-mail that came in from NOFA-NH on what you can do to speak up regarding this issue and more information on the importance of retaining non-GMO alfalfa.

What can we do the influence the outcome?

Call or Email the USDA and the White House and request that they reject Genetically Engineered Alfalfa.

"I am ___________, a farmer/citizen in New Hampshire I am calling to comment on USDA's push to allow the commercial release of GE alfalfa and its failure to evaluate the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of that release."

Under heavy pressure from the Biotech Industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is hurriedly preparing to approve the use of Monsanto's Genetically Engineered (GE) Roundup Ready ™ Alfalfa in time for spring planting.

This authorization ignores on-the-ground realities and will lead to widespread GE cross-pollination and contamination of organic and non-GE crops, corruption of seed supplies, and protracted economic injury to farmers and markets.

Alfalfa is the nation's 4th largest crop, planted on over 21 million acres. Forage and hay are primary feed crops for dairy cows and beef cattle as well as pork, lamb, and sheep. It's not just for livestock - some vegetable farmers use the hay as mulch and alfalfa meal as a beneficial soil amendment. Further, sprouts constitute an important sector of the salad market and alfalfa also plays a major role in honey production.

Organic standards do not allow the use of GE crops, including for animal feed. The purity of organic milk from alfalfa-fed dairy cows is a major concern. Milk is a primary entry product and mainstay for many U.S. consumers in the organic market and GE contamination would cause severe economic injury to farmers and have a devastating effect on the viability and integrity of the organic label. There are also test-verified GE-free domestic and world markets in Asia and Europe that would stop buying from US farmers whose crops are contaminated by GE alfalfa.

Despite three District Court rulings and a landmark Supreme Court decision that makes planting GE alfalfa illegal and requires USDA to formulate a valid management plan, the agency is going full steam ahead putting the deregulation of GE alfalfa on a fast track. While conceding for the first time that GE contamination of organic and GE-free crops and markets is a major problem in the U.S., USDA's court-ordered 2300 page Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) relies on faulty data and fails to take into account the scientifically-validated promiscuous nature of GE gene flow in crops. It also overlooks the widespread corruption of conventional seed varieties by GE strains (such as occurred with StarLink corn and LibertyLink rice) along with documented severe economic injury to farmers and markets. And there is no mention at all of possible health consequences from eating GM crops.

USDA has NOT shown that contamination-free coexistence with deregulated GE alfalfa is likely or possible. USDA's EIS fails to take into account the documented increase in Roundup-resistant "super weeds" that is requiring the use of highly toxic herbicide cocktails for weed control on conventional farms. Monsanto is in a big rush to spread GE alfalfa because the patent protections on their exclusive manufacture of Roundup expire in 2014. And, GE alfalfa is the all-important test case - waiting in the wings is an immediate decision on how to handle a lawsuit prohibiting GE sugar beets as well as a list of other GE crops coming along in the biotech pipeline.

Act now to preserve our organic future!

Thank you,

NOFA-NH Public Policy and Advocacy Committee

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Speak Out Against GMOs in NH

This is from Slow Food Seacoast and I just wanted to ensure this gets around and people get their written statements in or have the opportunity to make plans to attend the public hearing.

The ramifications of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture are varied—some have slowly become evident over time, and some remain unknown. Hearings for HB 1172 “GMO Labeling Bill” and HB 1388 “GMO Liability Bill” are scheduled to be held this Thursday in Concord, NH, and the Northeast Organic Farming Association–NH Chapter (NOFA-NH) invites the public to help build support for these bills. If you can describe why GMOs are bad for our health, are concerned about GMO seeds contaminating organic crops, or simply believe in the right-to-know in seed labeling, then your oral testimony—or written statement—is requested!

WHAT: Public hearings for HB 1172 “GMO Labeling Bill” and HB 1388 “GMO Liability Bill” (read more in ADDITIONAL INFO below and in links)

WHEN: Thursday, 2/11/2010, at 11 am (HB 1388) and 1 pm (HB 1172)

WHERE: Legislative Office Building (LOB), Room 308, 22 North State Street, Concord, NH

WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW: If you can’t attend the hearings on Thursday, submit your written statement for the record. Comments to the House received by email are not included in the permanent record, so please email statements to Elizabeth Obelenus of NOFA-NH (info@nofanh.org), and she will print out the required copies and submit them in person at the hearings on Feb. 11 as official testimony. 

ADDITIONAL INFO:

• HB 1172 (GMO Labeling Bill) “defines genetically modified seeds and organisms and requires that genetically modified seeds be labeled as such.” (More and more people raise their own food in NH to ensure quality and purity—and to save money. How do they know if their seeds contain GMOs if the seeds they buy are not labeled? This bill asks that the time-honored consumer’s right-to-know be extended to seed labeling.)
• HB 1388 (GMO Liability Bill) “defines genetically modified seed or organism” and “establishes a cause of action for farmers sustaining damage from the use of mislabeled or genetically modified seeds or organisms.” (Genetic drift is proving to be a huge problem for farmers that do not purposefully raise GMO crops. If a farmer’s crop becomes contaminated with GMOs through pollen drift, this bill gives the farmer the right to seek damages.)
• If you wish to testify in person or want more information about how you can participate, contact Elizabeth Obelenus of NOFA-NH at 603-224-5022 or info@nofanh.org.
• Slow Food Seacoast posted about a February 3 meeting related to these bills.
• Read an interesting recent article about GMO policy in NH in Front Door Politics.
• The House Environment & Agriculture Committee is set to make recommendations 1 week later, on Feb. 18.
• See my post on GMO Alfalfa here.

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