Every once in a while an issue comes along that is so shockingly wrong, that people seem to spontaneously unite in opposition. This is one of those times. I am very honored to post this letter, written by some of the most informed, passionate, and good-hearted people I know. Please, do what you can to fight against the GMO contamination of our bodies and our environment by demanding organic. Thank you. —Maria
We stand united in opposition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to once again allow unlimited, nationwide commercial planting of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa, despite the many risks to organic and conventional farmers.
Last spring more than 200,000 people submitted comments to the USDA highly critical of the substance and conclusions of its draft EIS on GE Alfalfa. Instead of responding to these comments and concerns, including expert comments from farmers, scientists, academics, conservationists, and food safety and consumer advocates, the USDA has chosen instead to listen to a handful of agricultural biotechnology companies.
USDA’s decision to allow unlimited, nationwide commercial planting of Monsanto’s GE Roundup Ready alfalfa without any restrictions flies in the face of the interests of conventional and organic farmers, preservation of the environment, and consumer choice. USDA has become a rogue agency in its regulation of biotech crops and its decision to appease the few companies who seek to benefit from this technology comes despite increasing evidence that GE alfalfa will threaten the rights of American farmers and consumers, as well as damage the environment.
The Center for Food Safety will be suing on this decision.
In the coming months, we will be seeing USDA proposals to allow unrestricted plantings of GE sugar beets, and GE corn and soy crops designed to resist toxic pesticides, such as 2-4D and Dicamba, highly toxic pesticides that pose a serious threat to our health and the environment. To win these critical and difficult battles, the entire organic community, and our allies in the conventional food and farming community, will have to work together.
Now is the time to unite in action. We need to work together to restore sanity to our food system, stop the deregulation of GE crops and join together against the forces that are seeking to silence hundreds of thousands of Americans.
As we move forward, we are united in opposing genetically engineered organisms in food production and believe that pressure to stop the proliferation of this contaminating technology must be focused on the White House and Congress. The companies responsible for this situation are the biotech companies whose GE technology causes genetic drift and environmental hazards that are not contained as the deregulation of genetically engineered alfalfa goes forward. The organic community stands together with consumer, farmer, environmental and business interests to ensure practices that are protective of health and the environment.
We urge you to join us today.
Sign up to receive action alerts.
Consider making a donation to the legal effort ahead.
Let the White House know that you do not support the deregulation of GE alfalfa.
Joan Boykin, The Organic Center
Christine Bushway, Organic Trade Association
Jay Feldman, Beyond Pesticides
Michael Funk, United Natural Foods Inc (UNFI)
Elizabeth Henderson, NOFA Interstate Council
Gary Hirshberg, Stonyfield Farm
Liana Hoodes, National Organic Coalition
Kristina Hubbard, Organic Seed Alliance
Faye Jones, Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service
Robby Kenner, Robert Kenner Films
Andrew Kimbrell, Center for Food Safety
Russell Libby, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners (MOFGA)
Ed Maltby, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA)
Robyn O’Brien, Allergy Kids
Keith Olcott, Equal Exchange
Michael Pollan, Author
Maria Rodale, Rodale Inc.
Eric Schlosser, Author
Robynn Schrader, National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA)
Corinne Shindelar, INFRA
George Siemon, Organic Valley
Michael Sligh, Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI)
Megan Westgate, Non-GMO Project
Maureen Wilmot, Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF)
Enid Wonnacott, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT)
A very serious issue w/ grave consequences. Sec. of Ag. Vilsack is a former exec. for Monsanto. So, I suspect this gives them a free pass.
I am so glad that you have posted this information and an opportunity to voice our concerns. They haven’t listened yet, but we cannot stop or they will win for certain. And, if we do nothing, we will have no right to complain about the results. I am doing all that I can from my blog, too.
Thank you.
http://myrasaidit.blogspot.com
Visit me here to learn about GMOs, Pesticides, and Insecticides.
I’m with you all on this!.
As a Prevention reader from the 1950s, just wish Prevention did not rely on Big PhRMA ads! They are in league with Monsanto as well.
I emailed The President immediately upon learning of this. Of course, have not even gotten a canned acknowledgement of email receipt even. I am so against this and am surprized The First Lady did not have something to say to her husband about this-if she did he did not listen?-She is promoting healthy eating and he is allowing deadly practices-whats up with this?!
I know!!!! Shame on all of them.
I agree with yoda about the Big Pharma ads. I began reading in the 70’s and big pharma was not included then either. I was so very surprised after sitting out a few years and being smacked in the face with the ads.. I tear them out wherever I can.
Your comments are really appreciated. I am glad that I have your company on this blog. Thanks Maria.
I am a certified nutritional counselor. Whenever I get any magazine advertising pharmaceutical products I tear out the ads. I highlight the warnings. I keep them in a binder. I have a second binder that contains natural health solutions, for comparison.
I’ve been very disappointed with my one-time favorite magazines and the ads they have started running. I just don’t read them anymore. I sent a letter to Prevention telling them that they have sold-out to the enemy. I suppose they still have some good articles, but I will not support them with my dollars.
http://healthylivingtodayandtomorrow.blogspot.com/
Visit me here to learn ways to have better health
I emailed and reposted on all my Social Networks and will include in my monthly newsletter. I hear a lot of people getting discouraged and disheartened by this and understand how they feel. The only thing to keep in mind is that leads to apathy and apathetic person does not take much action. We simply cannot abandon the right to knowing what we eat and what we feed our animals and through them our families. The GMO contamination is not reversible so we have to keep protesting or there will be no “better” time. Write, speak and call the newspapers and keep doing that.
I e-mailed the president and expressed my opposition to this gmo alfalfa. The administration is supposed to give me an acknowledgment. This is just terrible contamination!! Good for Rodale!!
I am so grateful for everyone who is doing something about this serious issue. I have also sent emails to various “authorities” but wonder what good it has done. I truly believe that David will get Goliath but it will take concentrated effort.
I am intersted to see you are having the same “problems” with Monsanto’s GM regime.
Last year, our State Govt in Western Australia, gave the all clear for trials on GM Canola, despite stong lobbying from our organic fraternity. Although we were completely ignored & our “suggested” outcomes were pie in the sky dillusions, the first casualty has happened. An organic certified farmer has had his certification suspended due to contamination from his neighbors GM crop. Although the organic farmer in question is in the process of suing Monsanto, it would appear that he will have to sell his farm to do so. Our State Govt have washed their hands of the whole affair, stating it was the responsibility of the farmer growing the GM crop, to ensure it was harvested before it seeded to avoid contamination. I always understood that was the whole purpose of growing canola, for the seed? One has to wonder where the “Duty of Care” begins & ends. Are our Governments & the “Money Powerful” not accountable? I think they are. Our fight is in it’s really early stages at this date but we pray for a just outcome.
Len Edwards.
Commitee member, The Organic Association of Western Australia.
Dear Len, Thank you for sharing your situation with us here. I think this is the MAJOR problem. And why should the good farmers have to pay for the stupidity of the bad ones?! Since when is that the right thing to do? Keep us posted and we’ll all keep fighting for what is right. Good luck and thanks again.
Maria
Funny, I too wondered about Michele Obama’s input. However, I remember reading that Laura Bush raised her daughters organically. You’d never imagine the G.Bush would even acknowledge organics at all!
What this states that perhaps healthful, organic food will be a privilege only to the elite & wealthy.
Reminds me of that scene in the 70’s movie ‘Soylent Green”- A futuristic drama that portrays America as an overcrowded slum, and people’s sole source of nutrition were colored wafers. When Charleton Heston’s character was investigating a wealthy person who left behind a spoon w/ residue on it, he gave it to an elder to taste (who lived back when there was more to eat than the wafers supplied by the gov’t) in order to identify what the person had been eating. The elder blissfully stated..”strawberry jam”!
Real food was reserved only for the wealthy!
Len,
Thank you for your story about the farmer. I will use it in my medical dissertation, if you do not mind. Do you have any more stories that you can share?
I’ll bet the GMO company bigshots have organic gardens, but how do they do it? It is something that has been on my mind a lot for several months. Thank you Laura for your comment.
Is the White House garden organic?
I have seriously been wondering about greenhouse gardening and then the pollination isues. Can a beehive survive inside a greenhouse? That would do the pollinating and the honey would then be GMO free, but could the bees handle the environment year-round?
Does anyone have any information about this idea? Maria, could you start a greenhouse blog?
http://myrasaidit.blogspot.com
Visit me here to learn about GMOs, Pesticides, and Insecticides.
Yeah, and the colored wafers were made from dead people!!!!!!!!!
YES! Hence the classic line “Soylent Green is made of PEOPLE”!
: D LOL.
Remember the scene when the old man chose to die & went to the facility that provided such services, & they showed him a movie of beautiful nature scenes & animals while they played Beethoven? I was just a kid, & that scene made me cry like crazy! (indigo child)
I also read that Monsanto’s company cafeteria banned GM foods from the ingredients!
Laura B.,
Where did you see that? I would love to have that source.
That figures !!!!!
Laura, do you remember where you read that? Could you find it again?
http://myrasaidit.blogspot.com
Visit me here to learn about GMOs, Pesticides, and Insecticides.
In this interview on NPR Dr Weiss speaks of the relationship between gmo foods and breast cancer: http://www.npr.org/2010/12/14/131760656/a-breast-oncologist-diagnosed-with-the-disease?ps=cprs
Dr. Marisa Weiss shares her personal journey with breast cancer with The New York Times and NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Read the New York Times article and listen to her interview.
Website
http://www.breastcancer.org/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34681971/Monsanto-Decides-Not-to-Serve-Gm-Foods-in-Staff-Cafeteria
James, here’s one source, but if you google it, many sources come up.
I googled the phrase ‘Monsanto removes GE food form company cafeteria’. How telling is THAT?
@ Myra- sorry, i missed your request- here’s a link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/34681971/Monsanto-Decides-Not-to-Serve-Gm-Foods-in-Staff-Cafeteria
Also google ” Monsanto removes GM foods from company cafeteria” & that will give you many sources.
Thanks Laura, for the link.
I find this statement interesting!
Wednesday, 22 December, 1999, 00:10 GMT
Monsanto’s spokesman, Tony Coombes, said that Sutcliffe Catering
ran the canteens at the company’s High Wycombe headquarters.
“We believe in choice. At our Cambridge restaurant there is a notice which says that some products may contain GM ingredients, because our staff are happy to eat products sprayed with fewer chemicals.”
I wonder if they still have the notice posted, since that statement in 1999.
They believe in choice!?!? Uh huh. So, where are the labels on the foods in our grocery stores?
http://myrasaidit.blogspot.com
Visit me here to learn about GMOs, Pesticides, and Insecticides.
It’s much eseair to understand when you put it that way!