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The next skirmish over genetically modified foods is getting underway, pitting a coalition of environmental, consumer and food-safety groups against the federal government.
Early this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved unrestricted planting of a type of GM alfalfa engineered by Monsanto. To the average consumer, that might not sound like such a big deal-after all, we're not rabbits.
But rabbits aren't the only animals that like to munch on the sweet grass. Alfalfa is the primary food source for cows, too. No only that, but alfalfa has a wily propensity to cross-pollinate across miles; over time, opponents say, there's no way to ensure that the GM variety doesn't intermix with the non-GM variety.
What that means is that the government's decision to approve the use of GM alfalfa could spell the end of organic dairy products, ranging from milk to yogurt. By law, no GM ingredients can be used in the production of anything labeled "organic."
Opponents also charge that widespread use of GM alfalfa will result in the release of an estimated 23 million more pounds of toxic chemicals into the environment. That's because Monsanto developed its GM alfalfa to withstand application of its Roundup herbicide. Currently, more than 90 percent of the alfalfa grown in the U.S. does not use any herbicide, according to the UDSA. Critics say that planting GM alfalfa will not only lead to more herbicide use, it will encourage an already growing problem of herbicide-resistant weeds, so-called "superweeds."
A broad coalition of groups, ranging from environmental organizations such as Earthjustice to public advocacy groups such as the Center for Food Safety, have filed suit in federal court to block USDA's decision.
"Approving the unrestricted planting of GE alfalfa is a blatant case of the USDA serving one form of agriculture at the expense of all others," says one of the plaintiffs in the case, in a press release issued by the coalition. "If this decision is not remedied, the result will be lost livelihoods for organic dairy farmers, loss of choice for farmers and consumers, and no transparency about [GM] contamination of our foods."
- Experts say contamination from GMO alfalfa is certain. Read more at The Huffington Post.
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3-23-2011 @6:29PM George said... The planting of GMO alfalfa must be stopped. This is an outrage and a fascist move on the part of the Obama administration. This will contaminate organic and non organic alfalfa crops. What's worse, the courts have ruled that the contamination is the fault of the farmers who don't use these poisonous crops! Judges have been bought by Monsanto no doubt. GM crops and seeds are a poison and a danger to every living thing. There have not been any legitimate safety studies on the foreign proteins and organisms that these crops bring. Studies have shown that rats fed GM corn have organ failures, organ damage, premature aging, sterility and still births. This is madness.
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3-23-2011 @8:36PM Marjorie said... Pres. Obama has nothing to do with this. You right-wingers always have to say something stupid, don't you.
3-23-2011 @8:48PM Vera said... I understand what you are saying. Small-minded people (or "sheeple") don't understand that there hasn't even been enough research into GMO's to see what the long-term effects are on humans and animals. Yet our government keeps insisting that it's safe, when it clearly is not. What is wrong with regular seeds? Why is there such an interest in GMO's? Because it's all about the $$$. All it takes is a little researching and interest to know that Monsanto is literally forcing farmers to use their genetically modified seeds and cannot plant any other type of seed. How about just going back to using what is put on this earth to use and stop modifying everything "for the betterment of mankind". Clearly, it's only better for the lining of certain pockets......
3-23-2011 @9:19PM Dr Juan said... If the GMO produce itself doesn't get you the added amount of herbicide that it now takes to kill the resulting super weeds will poison you, your drinking water , you meat or all three.
3-24-2011 @2:05AM Frankling said... The impetus behind GM strains is that the plants are not capable of reproducing organically, and because Monsanto has patents on the seeds, you have to go back to Monsanto for every crop every season. It's what happens when the government allows big corporations to become monopolies. Has anyone tried to grow plants from the seeds of the produce bought in a grocery store> I had some really hearty canteloupe vines that flowered, attracted bees, but didn't produce a single mellon from about 200 blossoms. Whether it's irradiation or genetic modification, they've got us by the short ones to a great extent.
3-24-2011 @3:57AM Robbie said... You people are hilarious! :) - Now we've got the kooks split up into two groups. First, "George" claims that the GM sky is falling, and it's Obama's fault (whatever happened to that old "it's Bush's fault?"), then "Marjorie," being a good Obamapologist, accuses him of being a right-winger. This is great! You guys are a real hoot! Newsflash, "Marjorie:" Right-wingers generally have too much intelligence and common sense to have any confidence in Chicken Little's paranoia over his so-called "organic" (one of today's biggest scams!) crops.
Hey, everybody - The Lefties eat their young!
3-24-2011 @10:40AM chris dudley said... The genetic modification, and importantly, the patenting and private ownership of seeds has lead to increased land and water consolidation, increased hunger, poverty and unemployment across the globe. The United States Government is, under Republicans and Democrats, merely a glad-handing toady of Big Ag. Please see my movie, Genetic Chile (you can find it on Amazon) for an informative discussion of the topic.
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3-23-2011 @9:06PM Joanne said... Well said Vera, and Marjorie...
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3-23-2011 @9:16PM Gary Williams said... I also disagree with GM anything, but we also have 500 million excess people on this planet that we soon will not be able to feed. We have all got to get back to producing for ourselves and stop relying on others to provide for us...or GM is what you get!
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3-23-2011 @9:28PM eulerckt said... Remember back in time, grasshoppers. The first attempt by Monsanto to introduce modified corn was nothing short of conspiracy. Pollen from the gm variety, when introduced into natural (organic) varieties, neutered the seeds. If it were permitted to continue, naturally reproducing corn would have become...well...extinct. The ONLY source for corn seeds in the US would have been...guess who?
Nothing to do with left/right/straddling, just a bit of history.
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3-24-2011 @1:34AM QueenBee said... So TRUE!!! Please go to YOUTUBE and search for Monsanto's series of videos. It's such an eye opener. Well, line up for the KoolAid! No pushing or shoving please. Keep order here!
3-23-2011 @9:31PM Jay Love said... I only drink Organic milk and really believe in having that choice. I hope this lawsuit will can this terrible idea of forcing GM products on all of us and ruining the food stream!! another stupid move by the Obummer administration. they can't seem to make good decisions for the life of them, (or should I say the life of US)
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3-23-2011 @9:36PM Jay Love said... well Marjorie, it is the Obummer administration who did the approving of this stuff....whether you like them or not that is beyond dispute!!
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3-23-2011 @11:08PM haskinsguy said... Our local farm supply store advertised they had Roundup Ready alfalfa seed in the warehouse and ready for sale the day after the USDA final decision. It's planting time here in Iowa and there is already some of this seed in the ground. It seems a little late for another lawsuit. A couple of organic farmers I've talked with aren't really that concerned, there is a large distance between fields that will keep the percentage of GMO below the allowable limit. Not everyone agrees with the consequences as put forward by this article.
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3-23-2011 @9:55PM Fran Sheppy said... Most people in the US have no scientific knowledge and don't realize that this country has doubled it's food production in the past fifty years by the use of selection of traits or addition of a gene or two to the foods that you eat.
We are now being asked to double it again in the next twenty years to keep up with the needs of an exploding population world wide. Eat "organic" if you wish, but remember it truly isn't that different from non-organic and when it comes to starvation, you really won't care.
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3-24-2011 @4:17PM FarmerAnne said... Fran, there is a vast difference in selecting for traits and "adding a gene or two". And, no, you don't "end up at the same place anyway". Do you realize that America is not allowed to export rice because our rice has been contaminated by GMO rice? Why don't you check and see what Bt does to the soil. Also, there are many reports that Monsanto's seeds aren't delivering the promised yield AND the additional problems are that the corn and soybeans that were two of the original "Round-up Ready" crops, well, those pesky weeds have finally built up a resistance and they are going to be much harder to kill now. Oh, and the Bt cotton? Well it seems to take care of one pest, but then is massively infested by other pests.
The blame for the USDA approval of the sale of GMO alfafa rests squarely on the Obama administration. They appointed several ex-Monsanto employees into positions of judgement on this. Obama himself does share the blame on this because he failed to weigh in against this. So much for Mrs. Obama's "organic food" campaign.
Oh, and since the federal government decides now who is organic and who is not, I won't be looking for "organic". I'll be looking for open pollinated seeds that are not genetically modified. Those will be good for my bees and I'll just have to pray that they don't visit gmo fields and kill their hive. But, for wind pollinated crops, well, it looks like the end of the road because once they are contaminated by GMO pollen, they are gone. FOREVER.
3-23-2011 @10:36PM Kris said... This is an outrage, but money talks and ...you know the rest. Are the U.S. citizens NOT aware that Monsanto is a major player in the food industry? They used to just make carpet, but now control the majority of food production. CRAZY!!! Genetically modified food? GROSS! F*ck Monsanto & F*ck the U.S. government. Who the heck do you think came up with high fructose corn syrup????? This is NOT normal and they should be stopped! Just watch Michael Moore's documentary on food.
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3-23-2011 @10:38PM Kris said... It WILL happen, simply because it already has (you just didn't know). They already use genetically modified crap in foods you eat every day and guess what? They don't have to label it as such. Why??? FDA people are former Monsanto employees.
U.S. citizens need to take this country back!
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3-24-2011 @9:31AM plantaholic said... This comes as no surprise to me. Monsanto has owned the USDA and the FDA for two decades now. They do exactly as they please, because the agencies kiss their hindquarters continuously. I went back to school for a horticulture degree in 1998, and did a paper on GMO's for a biology class. The things I found out about Monsanto and how they guinea-pig our food supply would make your hair stand on end! Of course it's going to contaminate other crops - does Vilsack really think we're that stupid?? They're bound and determined to put organic and small farmers out of business permanently, and use the consumer as a giant experiment. And the government won't stand up for us . Europe has rightly banned this Frankenfood - it might be safer to go there and live!
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3-23-2011 @11:34PM Kddidds said... I think we as the human race need to stop messing with nature. Some things we have created are wonderful, serve a purpose and do good. Other things we created only do harm. If we continue to genetically engineer things, one day there will no longer be anything natural or organic and we will be so far removed from what nature provided to us centuries ago. Look at what happened to the staph infections that were already bad, we continue to mess with something and it mutated into MRSA which is resistant to so many things because now its a Super Bug because we as a human race just cant leave anything alone, we just have to keep attempting to fix things or make them perfect. Guess what, it was all created prfectly to begin with, we have messed it up, changed it and made it worse. We need to draw the line and stop genetically engineering foods and anything else we can get our hands on. Enough is enough! I hope the judges listen and hear this arguement, and make sure that production of GE alfalfa and other things ends once and for all!!!!
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