Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Fact Sheet
email from http://www.cornucopia.org/
Genetically Engineered Alfalfa


Alfalfa is the fourth most widely grown crop in the U.S. and a fundamental
source of livestock forage. It is a primary protein source for animals
raised by livestock farmers.



* A group of farmers and their advocates, including The Cornucopia
Institute, successfully sued the USDA, taking the case all the way to the
Supreme Court of the United States, forcing the USDA to assess the
environmental impacts of approving the nation's first perennial genetically
engineered crop.



* The USDA's Final Environmental Impact Statement on Monsanto's
controversial Roundup Ready Alfalfa was released on December 16, 2010. In
the document, the USDA proposes three potential outcomes, but only two
appear acceptable to the agency. USDA officials made clear to a select group
of stakeholders on December 20 that they have rejected the first option -
continuing regulation of Monsanto's genetically engineered product (designed
to be resistant to the herbicide Roundup-a toxic poison which would normally
kill plants like alfalfa).



* Instead, officials indicated they will approve full deregulation or some
hybrid scheme with limited geographic restrictions on the planting of GE
alfalfa in seed growing regions of the country (the greatest concerns are
that the seed stock itself will be permanently contaminated). A final
decision will be announced around January 24.



* Alfalfa is open-pollinated by bees and other insects. With bees traveling
4-6 miles, they can potentially spread Monsanto's patented, foreign DNA to
distant conventional and organic crops. The potential for biological
contamination from a neighbor's field, even miles away, threatens the
livelihood of farmers, dairies and other livestock producers. This is of
particular concern in seed growing regions of the country and will almost
certainly lead to the loss of certifiably clean (non-GE) seed in the U.S.
and probably Canada. And the seeds from genetically engineered alfalfa can
be transported great distances when bales of hay are sold from farmer to
farmer.



* As a perennial, it is very likely that genetically engineered "volunteers"
will escape from farm fields and/or be scattered along roadsides from
harvest and transport equipment. Escaped or feral plants will live on for
multiple years producing GE pollen to contaminate non-GE alfalfa. This
factor makes the buffer zones proposed grossly inadequate. Farmers who are
unable to cut GE alfalfa before it blooms, and goes to seed, due to weather
or other factors also open the door to the accidental release of GE pollen
into the environment.



* U.S. organic standards prohibit genetic engineering. Buffer strips and
other devices required with annual GE crops are essentially useless for
perennial GE alfalfa. Organic farmers will almost certainly be confronted
with significantly contaminated domestically grown alfalfa seed, leaving
unattractive choices. One choice is to cheat which will materially harm
organic integrity and probably drive customers away from US certified,
ruminant related products like milk, beef, lamb, etc. Another choice is to
obtain all alfalfa seed from sources outside North America, probably at
significantly higher costs if they are even available in sufficient
quantity. A final option is to substitute other crops. Alfalfa is the queen
of legume forages, especially for dairy. Alternatives such as clover and
birdsfoot trifoil are not as productive and their use is no longer as well
understood.



* Ninety percent of all the alfalfa seed sold in the US comes from 5-6
compact geographic areas ideal for growing the seed in the Pacific Northwest
and Canada. Even with planting restrictions in these regions that may be
placed on GE alfalfa, it is uncertain that this approach will prevent
contamination in perpetuity.



* Export markets for conventional and organic alfalfa will likely be lost to
those countries that don't want GE alfalfa forage or seeds. The majority of
alfalfa seed exports go to Saudi Arabia and the majority of alfalfa hay
exports go to Japan and South Korea, all of which will reject
GE-contaminated seed and hay, potentially causing significant harm to the
export industry. Many export buyers have opposed the approval of GE alfalfa
and some say they will buy from other countries once alfalfa is widely grown
here.



* The vitality of the $25 billion organic industry is at risk. Consumers
support organics because they want healthy foods, sustainability and
economic opportunity for family farmers. How will they react to
contamination of the organic dairy and beef sector, and honey, by
genetically modified crops? Genetic engineering is prohibited in organics
and organic consumers, as well as organic farmers, don't want it.



* The Cornucopia Institute joined the lawsuit, led by the Center for Food
Safety, along with the Sierra Club and a broad coalition of farm and
environmental groups and conventional seed farmers in suing the U.S. Dept of
Agriculture for its earlier approval GE Alfalfa despite the scientific and
economic concerns noted above. The lawsuit forced the USDA to conduct an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The parties to the lawsuit have
reserved the right to return to federal court and pursue additional legal
remedies should the Final EIS be deemed inadequate.



* Monsanto's new product is designed to tolerate direct application of
glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup herbicide.
Eighty-three percent of U.S. alfalfa currently is grown with no herbicides
at all. This will mean more chemical pollution and will increase farmers'
dependency on chemical companies. Widespread planting of other Roundup Ready
crop varieties has led to ever increasing herbicide use with weeds
developing resistance as glyphosate is overused.



* Monsanto has aggressively pursued and successfully sued farmers raising
crops containing residues of their company's proprietary genetic material
alleging patent infringement. Many of these farmers have claimed that
patented Monsanto genetics "trespassed" onto their farms and that they were
unfairly persecuted, denying the giant corporations suggestions that they
were illegally pirating their patented intellectual property (genetically
engineered seed).


Farmers and consumers: Contact President Obama and let him know that the
USDA's approval of GE Alfalfa is dangerous and unacceptable.