[The Cornucopia Institute has been providing technical and farmer-plaintiff support to a lawsuit led by the Center for Food Safety challenging Monsanto’s move for deregulation of their geneticially modified alfalfa.]

DesMoines Register
By Phillip Brasher

The Obama administration is considering geographic limits on where biotech alfalfa can be grown, a restriction that would represent a shift in the government’s policy toward genetically engineered crops.

Farmers who grow conventional or organic alfalfa went to court to block sales of Monsanto Co.’s biotech alfalfa because of concerns that it would contaminate seed supplies.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who has been criticized by anti-biotech activists who claim he’s too close to Monsanto and other biotech companies, says his department needs to start taking into consideration the impact that genetically engineered crops can have on non-biotech farmers. Both the biotech and non-biotech sectors need to “thrive together,” he said.

“We see a key role for each of the sectors in meeting our global and domestic food needs, in increasing sustainability and in enhancing farm profitability and in economic development,” he said.

The Agriculture Department released an environmental impact statement that lays out two preferred options for the alfalfa – either deregulate it completely so that it can be grown anywhere or impose geographic restrictions and isolation requirements for the crop. In states such as Iowa with a small amount of alfalfa seed production, biotech alfalfa fields that are near seed crops would have to be harvested at or before 10-percent bloom. Restrictions would be tighter in the western states that are the biggest seed producers. Growers of the biotech seed would be required to keep fields five miles away from conventional alfalfa. Locations of biotech seed fields would be reported to the USDA.

Organic farmers have had similar complaints about biotech corn. They said the threat of cross-pollination from genetically engineered corn have made it difficult, if not impossible, for them to grow organic grain that meets the purity standards imposed by buyers. Vilsack made clear the new co-existence policy would not affect crops already deregulated.

The biotech alfalfa is immune to the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Glyphosate-tolerant versions of soybeans, cotton and corn already are in wide use.

The Organic Trade Association said the biotech policy shift was an “important first step.” The group said it looks forward to policy development discussions aimed at protecting “all producers from market losses” due to biotech crops.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization, however, said the restrictions being considered for alfalfa weren’t needed and would set a bad precedent. Farmers already work together to avoid cross-pollinating crops, said BIO spokeswoman Karen Batra. Court challenges to USDA deregulation of biotech crops, including sugarbeets as well as alfalfa, is discouraging development of new products, said Batra. “What this is doing, aside from the hindrance it puts on our regulatory system, is inhibiting investment,” she said. BIO’s members include Monsanto and rival Pioneer Hi-Bred.

Monsanto issued a statement that did not address the possible restrictions. A spokesman said the company needed time to review the 264-page environmental impact statement. The company hopes to get approval within 60 days to put the seed back on the market.

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