Seed Keepers

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [SANET-MG] Open Letter to Organic Community on GMOs
Date: Thu, 3 Feb 2011 15:11:40 -0500
From: Elizabeth Henderson <elizabethhenderson13@GMAIL.COM>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Dear Organic Community Member,

We write to you as long-time organic community members who care, as we are
sure you do as well, about protecting our collective organic integrity. We
need to consider how best to use the aftermath of the recent USDA decision
to de-regulate RR alfalfa to create a "teachable" moment for all of us to
rally around the kinds of long-term and lasting solutions needed to actually
create "peace in the valley".

We fully understand all of the hurt feelings, our despair, and our fear and
loathing. However, we have vetted enough. Now is the time to turn not on
each other but toward cooperating on common solutions.

The National Organic Coalition has issued a white paper to USDA laying out a
Seven- Point Plan, which spells out concretely what is needed to help frame
and guide the debate on the possibility of "coexistence" between organic and
GMOs.

We are calling for your strong support for the development of a workable and
comprehensive National *GMO Contamination Prevention Plan *that includes
these seven points:

1. Establishment of a fully distinct and separate USDA Public Cultivar and
Breeds Institute to ensure that farmers have elite public cultivar and
breeding choices that are not genetically modified and that germplasm
collections are free of GMO contamination.

2. Creation of a *Contamination Compensation Fund *funded by GMO patent
holders and based upon their strict liability. This would provide immediate
assistance to all farmers and other supply chain participants contaminated
by GMOs, pending further necessary remedies of law and equity. Such a Fund
would establish costs associated with the prevention of GMO commingling and
contamination from seed to table and would include both perpetual type costs
as well as identity preserved price differential costs for organic and other
non-GMO crops.

3. Ongoing GM crop regulation, including the complete elimination of
deregulated GM crop status; including prior deregulations such as corn,
cotton, canola and soy and on-going oversight and public evaluations of
compliance and enforcement.

4. Comprehensive, independent, longitudinal studies on the health impacts of
eating GMOs and on the environmental and socio-economic impacts of release
prior to GM crop approvals.

5. Prohibition on the growing of GM crops that are deemed too promiscuous to
prevent GMO Contamination.

6. Mitigation of food security risks associated with the concentration of
any sector of our food system in the hands of a few companies or with the
use of one food production technology or patented seeds or genotypes to the
near exclusion of all others.

7. Institution of an immediate labeling protocol for all GM crops, products,
and ingredients in close collaboration with other agencies as required. 2

This seven-point plan, continuing support for the critical and on-going
legal challenges, and continuous calls to the White House by members of the
public can constitute the beginning of comprehensive strategy to win a
lasting peace.

If we all cooperate, the new Farm Bill is looming and can provide
opportunities to move this platform forward.

We strongly urge the Organic Community, which includes both the movement and
the industry, to re-focus our anger, passion and talents back toward solving
our common problems – we should remain tough on our principles but not on
our fellow travelers.

Now is the time not only to unite but to create winning solutions.

This is our "teachable moment" – let’s use this to our advantage!

Sincerely,

Michael Sligh

Elizabeth Henderson

Liana Hoodes

Steve Gilman
*

February 2, 2011
*