ACTION ALERT: Help Stop Genetically Engineered Alfalfa
May 25th, 2010We join the National Organic Coalition in encouraging you to contact your senators and congressmen asking them to support farmers and consumers in their attempt to convince the USDA that once the genie is out of the bottle we might never have alfalfa, or livestock products, in the future that is not contaminated with novel genetically engineered material.
The Cornucopia Institute is proud to have been one of the plaintiffs that brought the suit in federal court mandating an environmental impact study, the first-ever, for this genetically engineered crop…
STOP! GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ALFALFA!
Senator Leahy and Representative DeFazio are circulating a Congressional sign-on letter in the House and Senate “Asking USDA to Maintain the Ban on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa”
Contact your Senators and Representative Today
If you do not know who they are click here.
Call: the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202)224-3121 and ask to be connected with your Senator/Representative’s office.
Speak with the agriculture staff person or leave a message:
Ask them to sign on to the
“Dear Colleague Letter to USDA about Banning GE Alfalfa”
Senators should contact:
Adrienne Wojciechowski, Sen. Leahy’s office;
Adrienne.w@judiciary-dem.senate.gov
House Representatives should contact:
Emily Rohlffs in Rep. DeFazio’s office
emily.rohlffs@mail.house.gov
Email or Fax: Below is a template that you can use in emailing or faxing (customizing is encouraged):
Dear (Your Congressman/woman’s Name here):
As you may know, Senator Leahy and Representative DeFazio are circulating a Congressional sign-on letter in the House and Senate asking USDA to maintain the ban on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa. (That letter is attached here.)
Monsanto wants to sell its genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa and wants the USDA to approve its permit application, but consumers, farmers, dairies, and food companies don’t want GE alfalfa plants and seeds released into the environment.
USDA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) admits that if GE alfalfa is approved:
• GE Contamination of non-GE and organic alfalfa crops will occur
• GE contamination will economically impact small and family farmers
• Foreign export markets will be at risk due to rejection of GE contaminated products
• Farmers will be forced to use more toxic herbicides to remove old stands of alfalfa
Yet, USDA has decided that these impacts are insignificant and have dismissed the concerns of farmers and consumers in our state.
As a (farmer/rancher/seed dealer/consumer) from (your town or county) I urge you to sign on to this Dear Colleague Letter as soon as possible. (feel free to include any personal stories here)
To sign on you should contact: (choose one)
Senators: Adrienne Wojciechowski in Senator Leahy’s office
(Adrienne.w@judiciary-dem.senate.gov)
Representatives: Emily Rohlffs in Rep. DeFazio’s office
(emily.rohlffs@mail.house.gov)
If you have questions or would like to discuss the importance of this letter, feel free to contact me at (your name, address, email and telephone).
[READ THE DEAR COLLEAGUE LETTER HERE]
This letter from Congress directs USDA Secretary Vilsack to maintain the Regulated Status of GE Alfalfa and to not allow its further commercialization.
Monsanto wants to sell its genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa and wants the USDA to approve its permit application, but consumers, farmers, dairies, and food companies don’t want GE alfalfa plants and seeds released into the environment.
USDA’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) admits that if GE alfalfa is approved:
• GE Contamination of non-GE and organic alfalfa crops will occur
• GE contamination will economically impact small and family farmers
• Foreign export markets will be at risk due to rejection of GE contaminated products
• Farmers will be forced to use more toxic herbicides to remove old stands of alfalfa
Yet, unbelievably, USDA has decided that these impacts are insignificant! And, intends to approve Monsanto’s Roundup Ready™ GE alfalfa anyway
Tell Your Congress Member that you DO NOT support the deregulation of GE alfalfa, because:
• GE contamination of non-GE and organic crops would be inevitable
• You won’t buy products that are GE-contaminated
• Alfalfa is a major food source for livestock — GE alfalfa would destroy the integrity of organic dairy
• You support rights of farmers to grow crops of their choice — GE contamination makes that impossible
• GE crops increase pesticide use, harming human health and the environment
