Act today or Kiss your organics goodbye

[Guest guest]

Take a stand for organics, tell Secretary Vilsack and President Obama to

reject Monsanto's GMO alfalfa

Everything you thought you knew about organics is about to change. If the

USDA and Monsanto get their way, organic integrity is about to go the way

of the dinosaur.

Once again, the organic industry is under assault. This time the USDA is

determined to let Monsanto ride roughshod over common sense environmental

rules that would protect organic farmers from having their crops contaminated

by Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) Roundup Ready seeds.

Last month, the USDA released its position on Monsanto’s GMO alfalfa,

stating that the USDA would go ahead and allow GMO alfalfa to be planted in the

U.S. despite the fact that is scientifically proven to contaminate organic

alfalfa, a crop that organic dairy farmers and organic beef producers

depend upon for feed. According to USDA organic standards, GMO crops are not

allowed for animal feed.1

If organic and conventional alfalfa crops are allowed to be contaminated

by GMO alfalfa, the organic dairy industry stands to lose more than $1.4

billion, as organic integrity is dependent upon GMO-free ingredients and

feed.2

Click on the link below to tell Secretary Vilsack and President Obama that

you refuse to accept genetic contamination of the organic industry. Tell

him it’s time to stand up to Monsanto and the biotech industry. It’s vital

that he hear from you today.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=7_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=7)

Coexistence and the Road to Continued Organic Contaminiation

In his most recent announcement, Vilsack hoped to be able to offer a “

middle ground†on GMOs. The Obama administration’s bright idea calls for a

new

era of “coexistence†between the organic and biotech industries.

The **coexistence** model - one of the two proposed options - would create

" geographic restrictions and isolation distances " between GMO and non-GMO

alfalfa fields. The problem with " coexistence " , is that it looks a lot like

the past 15 years where organic and conventional farmers have been forced

to go out of business or adopt GMOs because the technology is so flawed that

it can’t be planted in one farmer's field and stay there.

No, GMO crops routinely contaminate other farmer’s fields — that is,

genetically pollute other crops that don’t contain their patented genes.

While

prudent, non-corporate scientists have warned against the unknown long-term

consequences of genetic contamination in nature caused by GMO seeds and

crops, past administrations and USDA bureaucrats have gone ahead and

recklessly approved these crops anyway.

Already the biotech industry is throwing a fit about this being a “

dangerous precedentâ€, taken to mean that they could no longer fully dictate

the

terms of seed planting and approval. 3 But we need to let Secretary Vilsack

and President Obama know that if they allow GMO alfalfa to be planted, from

this point forward, the history books will write about the loss of the

organic industry under Vilsack and Obama’s watch.

Click on the link below to tell Secretary Vilsack and President Obama that

you’re outraged that they would needlessly put the organic industry,

environment and future generations at risk in favor of corporate profits.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=9_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=9)

GMO Alfalfa Not Needed By Farmers, Not Worth the Risk

Unfortunately, rather than provide protection for the fastest growing and

most profitable sector in agriculture, the Obama administration is

needlessly putting the $26 billion organic industry at risk over a GMO crop

that is

not needed by farmers.

As a crop, genetically modified alfalfa is entirely unnecessary. Since

alfalfa is a perennial grain, it has significantly less weed competition than

annual crops where Roundup is normally used. Unlike corn, soybeans and

other crops, alfalfa does not have persistent weed problems, therefore

Monsanto’

s and the biotech industry’s arguments for seeking approval of Roundup

Ready alfalfa based on the need for weed control are completely without merit.

It would appear that the only thing that Monsanto is seeking is another

revenue stream for its failed line of Roundup Ready seeds.

Unfortunately, if Vilsack does go ahead with his decision to deregulate

GMO alfalfa or opt for " coexistence " , things are about to get a whole lot

worse for farmers. Not only will the organic industry have to deal with

massive genetic contamination, but farmers everywhere will have to figure out

how

to deal with the further spread of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready resistant

superweeds which have already spread to at least 10 species of weeds and have

infested millions of acres in 22 U.S. states since 2000.4

For farmers the rise in superweeds leads to an increased usage of

herbicides, which not only contaminate our rivers and streams, but also

decreases

profits for farmers and creates unknown potential human health problems.

Already, farmers across the U.S. are being forced to use 2 or even 3 toxic

herbicides to keep superweeds at bay.

Click on the link below to tell Secretary Vilsack and President Obama to

stand up for organic integrity and that organic farmers and consumers have a

right to eat food that is not contaminated with Monsanto’s patented GMO

genes!

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=11_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=11)

Thank you for participating in food democracy, your action today may help

save the organic industry.

Dave, and the Food Democracy Now! Team

_Keep GMOs out of Organics!_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=1)

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=2)

_Clicking here will automatically add your name to the letter to Secretary

Vilsack and President Obama_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=3) :

The USDA must immediately ban Monsanto's GMO alfalfa from the market and

work to ensure that the organic industry is protected from genetic

contamination and loss of profits and stand up for the basic rights for

Americans to

know what is in their food and how it's produced.

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/329?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=4)

Sources:

1. “USDA Announces Final Environmental Impact Statement for Genetically

Engineered Alfalfa†United States Department of Agriculture, Press Release,

December 16, 2010.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/326?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=13_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/326?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=12)

2. “DeFazio Wants Rules on Genetically Engineered Alfalfaâ€, Natural

Resource Report, July 3, 2010.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/180?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=15_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/180?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=14)

3. “Biotech alfalfa restrictions would be ‘dangerous precedent’â€, Dairy

Herd Management, January 7, 2011.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/327?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=17_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/327?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=16)

4. “Farmers Cope With Roundup-Resistant Weedsâ€, The New York Times, May

3, 2010.

_http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/328?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=19_

(http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/go/328?akid=285.100181._gr-_d & t=18)