Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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USDA fails to restrict GMO alfalfa plantings and protect organic farmers and 
consumers; did the White House "want to appease Monsanto?"
By Leah Zerbe
http://www.rodale.com/gmo-alfalfa

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—On Thursday, the United States Department of 
Agriculture announced it would allow the unrestricted, nationwide planting of 
genetically engineered alfalfa, which is also known as GE, GMO, or Roundup 
Ready alfalfa. The decision to allow this genetically-manipulated crop into 
the environment—and ultimately onto our plates in some form or another—flies 
in the face of what consumers say they want. A survey released late last year 
found that the majority of Americans don't want GMO ingredients in the food 
chain, and more than 90 percent believe GMO ingredients should be labeled, 
which currently is not required by law. (Organic farming bans the use of GMO 
seeds, and the pesticides used on GMO crops.)

The announcement to allow farmers to plant GMO alfalfa anywhere—even right 
beside an organic field—came as somewhat of a surprise to many observers. 
Though the approval seemed a foregone conclusion, the USDA seemed to be, for 
the first time, open to the idea of "co-existence" between GMO, conventional, 
and organic farmers. For instance, one of the proposed options involved 
keeping a five-mile buffer between GMO alfalfa and organic plantings. And 
while many scientists believe co-existence is impossible because 
cross-pollination threatens to contaminate organic crops with modified genes, 
it was still unprecedented for USDA to even consider organic farmers at the 
negotiating table. That gave some organic advocates hope.

Cross contamination—transfer of genes from GMOs to other crops— is already 
occurring in annual Roundup Ready GMO soy and corn.

As it stands now, though, GMO alfalfa is set to be in fields by this spring, 
unless President Barack Obama overturns the decision. There's just one 
problem with the potential for a presidential overruling. "There were some 
indications that USDA would insist on some restrictions to ensure the genetic 
integrity of organic alfalfa, but rumors are that the White House wanted to 
appease Monsanto [the company that makes GMO alfalfa, and the chemical 
pesticide Roundup sprayed on it] and appear friendly to business," says 
Marion Nestle, PhD, professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health, 
and author of Food Politics(University of California Press, 2007). "It's a 
win for industrial agriculture and a big setback for organics."

THE DETAILS: Not withstanding the White House kitchen garden full of heirloom 
vegetables, the current administration has shown indications of chumminess 
with big agribusiness. Late last year, USDA secretary Tom Vilsack openly said 
in a phone call highlighting the final environmental impact statement 
regarding Roundup Ready alfalfa that USDA must not only support different 
types of farmers, but also the biotechnology industry that's invested in 
creating GMO seeds. It's no secret the government agency supports the 
chemical farming system in the U.S. and, as a Wikileaks memo showed us, 
around the world.

Even though most people don't eat alfalfa directly, many eat beef, cheese, or 
yogurt, or drink milk from alfalfa-eating animals. The organic dairy, 
grass-fed beef, and even conventional farming sectors that reject GMOs face 
the biggest threat, because these operations rely on non-GMO alfalfa as one 
of the main forage crops for their cattle. (Alfalfa also is healthier for 
cows than the typical factory-fed grains.) Cross contamination—transfer of 
genes from GMOs to other crops— is already occurring in annual Roundup Ready 
GMO soy and corn. Scientists say the phenomenon will be even more prevalent 
in alfalfa because it is a perennial crop.

The Center for Food Safety plans to continue legal action to block the GMO 
alfalfa seeds from entering the food system. "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," Andrew Kimbrell, 
Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. "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."

WHAT IT MEANS: The approval of GMO alfalfa is clearly not the people's 
choice. In fact, more and more people are opting for organic to avoid 
pesticides and GMOs, to the tune of a flourishing $26.6 billion-dollar-a-year 
organic industry. The USDA's decision has the potential to limit consumers' 
ability to get the organic food they want. "This creates a perplexing 
situation, when the market calls for a supply of crops free of genetic 
engineering. Consumers will not tolerate the accidental presence of genetic 
engineered materials in organic products, yet GE crops continue to 
proliferate unchecked," says Christine Bushway, Executive Director and CEO of 
the Organic Trade Association. "Preserving market and farmer choice and 
agricultural diversity are central to USDA’s mission, and to the future of 
rural American livelihoods," she adds. "This failure to do so will make it 
increasingly difficult to meet the growing demand for U.S. organic crops."

It's not just an economic thing, either. "We don't know what the impact of 
allowing GE alfalfa to be released is going to be. We haven't finished the 
last GE crop experiment imposed on the public, except that the evidence to 
date isn't good," says Elaine R. Ingham, PhD, chief scientist of the Rodale 
Institute, an organic research farm. "There is solid evidence that Roundup 
Ready crops damage animal digestive systems to the point that some animals 
are uncontrollable and must be put down." When a broad range of animals are 
harmed by the food fed to them, human health will ultimately be harmed, she 
adds.

"When genetically engineered alfalfa pollen contaminates your clover, will 
Monsanto claim they own your clover?"
--Elaine R. Ingham, PhD, chief scientist, Rodale Institute

Expanding the use of GMO crops and the use of Roundup worries toxicology and 
public health experts for numerous reasons. Ample evidence shows that Roundup 
inhibits a plant's ability to take up micronutrients essential for human 
survival. Livestock animals need these nutrients, too, and Jeffrey Smith, 
founder of The Institute for Responsible Technology, says veterinarians are 
finding livestock livers' universally low in manganese, a nutrient used in 
many metabolic processes. This, he says, is likely an affect of the Roundup 
pesticide and Roundup Ready gene. Roundup is also linked to more than 40 
plant diseases, and the rise of hard-to-kill superweeds. In fact, because 
Roundup isn't working well on corn, soy, and cotton crops anymore, Monsanto 
has been forced to pay farmers to use their competitors' toxic pesticides. 
With Roundup failing, there are patents out to create seeds resistant to the 
carcinogenic 2,4 D pesticide, meaning more of it could end up in our soil and 
water.

"Hundreds of millions of pounds of Roundup sprayed around the world are 
taking nutrients out of food supply," says Smith, author of Seeds of 
Deception: Exposing Industry and Government Lies About the Safety of the 
Genetically Engineered Foods You're Eating (Yes! Books, 2003). "Given the 
toll that Roundup has already taken, and the evidence suggesting it's 
creating a perfect storm of diseases and disorders in plants, animals, and 
humans, the only way USDA can justify approval of Roundup Ready alfalfa is by 
deceiving themselves, or deceiving the American public. Either decision is a 
disaster."

And it could be a disaster for farmers, too. Smith believes that because of a 
growing consumer demand for non-GMO products, and the ability to test for GMO 
contamination, farmers who invest in planting Roundup Ready seeds may go out 
of business in a few years because no one will want to buy their product. 
Ingham notes that GE-alfalfa will be able to cross-pollinate with an enormous 
number of plants, asking, "When genetically engineered alfalfa pollen 
contaminates your clover, will Monsanto claim they own your clover?"

Here's how you can fight back against GMO alfalfa.

• Get the White House on the horn. Nestle says if the rumors are true about 
Obama pushing for the approval of GMO alfalfa that consumers don't want, it's 
time to let the White House, in no uncertain terms, know that grassroots 
constituents do not like the decision. Here's how to contact the president.

• Pressure dairies. Don't just call the president, call the dairy that 
supplies your milk, too. And go out of your way to buy organic, a system in 
which GMO seeds and pesticides are banned. If you can't swing that, 
conventional non-GMO dairy, beef, and honey is another route, although unless 
it's also organic, it won't be pesticide-free. (Check out the Non-GMO Project 
for participating companies.)

• Join with others. Food & Water Watch has launched a campaign to urge the 
president to overrule the USDA's decision to allow GMO alfalfa plantings 
without any protections for organic farmers and consumers.