Whole Foods boasts one of the most extensive selections of certified organic products, and the store earns many (many) of my hard-earned dollars by claiming to care about personal and environmental health. So you can imagine my surprise when I received an action alert e-mail from the grocer that actually supported the coexistence of genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa and organic crops. Baffled and a bit irritated, I investigated.
Like many sustainable food publications, Whole Foods’ blog,“Whole Story,” has been covering the GE alfalfa saga. Aswe’ve reported here on Change.org. the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is poised to approve Monsanto’s Roundup Ready, GE alfalfa for spring planting.“Whole Story” reports that there are two possible options for GE alfalfa: One, the USDA can fully approve the planting of GE alfalfa with no stipulations. Or two, the agency can authorize “partial deregulation,” otherwise known as “coexistence.” This plan would limit the planting of GE alfalfa to certain regions in certain states. Whole Foods says it supports the second option and even goes so far as to encourage readers to contact the USDA, White House, and their Congressperson to express support for the coexistence plan.
But “Whole Story” failed to provide, well, the whole story. There’s a third option that would be even better for the environment — not approving GE alfalfa at all, in any scenario. This third option may be the underdog, but it’s not yet off the table.
The problem with coexistence is that it still leaves the door open for contamination of the organic food sector and puts some farmers in an unfair situation. As we’ve seen with Monsanto’s Roundup Ready corn, cotton, and soybean plants, GE crops seldom stay in their designated regions. Through pollen transfer, these Frankenfoods escape and mingle with organic and conventional crop varieties. Once an organic crop contains altered genes, it can no longer be considered organic. Rogue GE alfalfa genes would obviously threaten the livelihoods of organic alfalfa farmers, but the situation becomes far more serious when you consider the fact that most organic beef and dairy cattle also dine on organic alfalfa.
Sure, limiting GE alfalfa to specific regions in certain states would protect organic farmers who don’t reside in those areas. But what about the organic alfalfa, dairy, and beef farmers that do live in or near those regions? They still face contamination threats, and it’s unfair to place this burden on any farmer — no matter where they live.
Let’s not forget what history has taught us about Roundup Ready crops, either. As we’re seeing now with Roundup Ready corn, cotton, and soybeans, weeds can quickly evolve a resistance to the Roundup herbicide. Once they do, farmers need to rely on even more chemical herbicides to kill off these “superweeds.” All those herbicides not only cost cash-strapped farmers more money, they pollute nearby waterways and soil and poison wildlife.
“Coexistence” may seem like a well-intentioned compromise, but given America’s history with Roundup Ready crops, it doesn’t seem feasible that GE plants and organics can live together in perfect harmony. The more realistic situation involves organic farmers struggling to protect their crops from a GE invasion, while Frankenfoods dominate the marketplace and America’s agricultural fields.
It’s not too late for the USDA to deny the approval of GE alfalfa, even if it is the underdog choice. Express your support for this option by signing Food & Water Watch’s petition to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and President Obama.
Article link: http://food.change.org/blog/view/whole_foods_supportsge_alfalfa
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