Alfalfa at the Eleventh Hour

Guest Article by Wendy Gabriel

We’ve talked a lot about Monsanto here at Twilight Earth. My father is a retired scientist turned organic farmer so I have a lot of personal, let’s call it, disrespect for the Ag Giant. And as an advocate for organics and food labeling, I find it almost incomprehensible that a company cares so much about profit that they would wreck havoc with the natural world to make a buck.

Well, it seems the plot is thickening. According to Food & Water Watch, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is getting closer to approving Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa, despite the fact that it’s likely to contaminate other crops, including organic alfalfa. Almost all organic dairies are dependent upon organic alfalfa, and organic standards don’t allow the use of GE crops. So the potential for all our organic dairy products to be impacted is a real possibility if the GE alfalfa is approved.

If you read Adam Shake’s article, Report: Monsanto Corn Causes Organ Damage in Mammals, you are well versed on the latest research on genetically modified foods (p.s. last time I checked, WE are mammals). But the fact is many people have been ringing the warning bell for years. Expert Jeffrey M. Smith, author of Seeds of Deception and Genetic Roulette, spends a large amount of his time educating people across the world on why genetically modified crops may lead to health and environmental catastrophes and what we can do about it.

Genetically modified foods are linked to toxic and allergic reactions, sick, sterile, and dead livestock, and damage to virtually every organ studied in lab animals. They are banned by food manufacturers in Europe and elsewhere, yet GMOs are present in the vast majority of processed foods in the US.

We can vote with our dollars and avoid the food we know contain genetically modified ingredients. Download a free Non-GMO Shopping Guide. You may be surprised to find some of your favorite brands are using GM ingredients. I know I was.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) is on our side. They seek to halt the approval, commercialization or release of any new genetically engineered crops until they have been thoroughly tested and found safe for human health and the environment. They maintain that any foods that already contain genetically engineered ingredients must be clearly labeled. Additionally, CFS advocates the containment and reduction of existing genetically engineered crops.

The USDA has released for public comment its draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on Monsanto’s genetically engineered, Roundup Ready alfalfa. Despite public outcry the USDA seems determined to approve GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for consumers, the environment or farmers’ right to sow the crop of their choice without fear of contamination and rejection of their products. The USDA claims that consumers don’t care if organic and conventional farmers’ crops are contaminated. Let them know this is not the case.

USDA released its draft EIS on December 14, 2009. A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010. Let you voice be heard. Take Action now.

Wendy Gabriel is the founder of My Green Side.org, a columnist for Examiner.com and a weekly on-air contributor to The Christopher Gabriel Program. You can listen to her Wednesdays at 1020am (central) on AM970 WDAY where she talks about Simple Tips for Green Living.

photo credit: cliff1066™

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