Read FARFA's position statement on Genetic Engineering in Agriculture
Roundup Ready Alfalfa
Howard Vlieger, FARFA Board member, attended the USDA listening session on Roundup Ready (RR) alfalfa in Lincoln, Nebraska on February 4, 2010. Read his account of the meeting and the problems with the pro-RR claims here
USDA has released its draft Environmental Impact Statement on GE alfalfa and took public comments through February 16, 2010. In the Environmental Impact Statement, USDA claimed that there is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic alfalfa. But it's not just alfalfa that is at risk. Since alfalfa is fed to dairy cows and other livestock, the dairy and meat products that you eat could be affected too!
Howard Vlieger, a FARFA Board member and president of Verity Farms, has witnessed first-hand the negative effects of GE crops on livestock. In a recent conversation with Dr. Don Huber, Emeritus Professor at Purdue University, Dr. Huber stated that if GE “Roundup Ready” alfalfa gets approved, the glyphosate herbicide (the active ingredient in Roundup) could stay in alfalfa plants for up to ten years. And it’s possible that traces of glyphosate could end up in the milk supply when dairy cows are fed GE alfalfa that has been sprayed with glyphosate.
Our action alert includes sample talking points on the problems with RR alfalfa. Although the time for submitting comments to USDA has closed, these talking points can be useful in explaining the issues to your friends, neighbors, and legislators.
Pro-GMO Big Ag Lobbyist to Become US Chief Agricultural Negotiator
Islam Siddiqui has been appointed by President Obama to the office of Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the office of the US Trade Representative. He is a former lobbyist and current Vice President for CropLife America. CropLife is an agricultural industry trade group that lobbies on behalf of Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, and other pesticide and biotech companies.
As Chief Agricultural Negotiator, Siddiqui is in charge of both negotiating and enforcing trade agreements, with huge potential impacts on agriculture both in the US and around the world. Appointing an "agribusiness as usual" advocate of GMOs and pesticides to this position could result in irreversible damage.
Read more about Siddiqui and CropLife in this fact sheet from the Pesticide Action Network of North America (PAN).
Siddiqui's nomination was an interim appoinment and might ultimately be overturned. Contact your Senators and tell them to vote against Siddiqui's nomination. You can also send a message online through PAN's website
What are GMOs?
GMOs (or “genetically modified organisms”) are organisms that have been created through the gene-splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This relatively new science allows DNA from one species to be injected into another species in a laboratory, creating combinations of plant, animal, bacteria, and viral genes that do not occur in nature or through traditional crossbreeding methods.
How common are GMOs?
According to the USDA, in 2007, 91% of soy, 87% of cotton, and 73% of corn grown in the U.S. were GMO. It is estimated that over 75% of canola grown is GMO, and there are also commercially produced GM varieties of sugar beets, squash and Hawaiian Papaya. As a result, it is estimated that GMOs are now present in more than 80% of packaged products in the average U.S. or Canadian grocery store.
Want to Learn More?
Check out the presentation and breakout session on GMO's at the 2009 Farm & Food Leadership Conference! You can order the DVDs by using this form.
Read the latest article from Howard Vlieger, FARFA Board Member, about some of the potential effects of GMOs
