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E-M:/ Monsanto vs. the World (Genetic Tampering Alert)

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Enviro-Mich message from jmgear <jmgear@acd.net>
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REUTERS - A coalition of farmers, consumers and environmental activists Thursday sued the U.S. government over its approval of a biotech alfalfa that critics say will spell havoc for farmers and the environment." Opening another front in the battle over genetically modified crops, the lawsuit contends that the U.S. Department of Agriculture improperly is allowing Monsanto Co. to sell an herbicide-resistant alfalfa seed while failing to analyze the public health, environmental, and economic consequences of that action. "The USDA failed to do a full environmental review when they deregulated this genetically engineered alfalfa," said Will Rastov, an attorney for Center for Food Safety, one of the plaintiffs. "They're going to wreak untold dangers into the environment.". . . The suit asserts that the genetically modified alfalfa will probably contaminate conventionally grown alfalfa at a fast pace, ultimately forcing farmers to pay for Monsanto's patented gene technology whether they want the technology or not. The group says biotech alfalfa would also hurt production of organic dairy and beef products as alfalfa is a key cattle feed. And the suit claims farmers could lose export business, valued at an estimated $480 million per year, because buyers in Japan and South Korea, major importers of U.S. alfalfa, have indicated they would avoid buying U.S. alfalfa once the genetically engineered variety is released.

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9901

A READER - It's amazing how Monsanto stays out of the normal press with this stuff.

FARMER MARK - Alfalfa is already an invasive weed. It will grow almost anywhere, given a little water. Its seeds spread easily, hitchhiking with livestock and industrial travel. It could conceivably contaminate the planet in 3-5 years.

It has hundreds of wild relatives in the pea family, such as clovers, peas (wild and domestic), beans, soybeans, vetches, lupine, trefoil, licorice root, medic, peanuts, lentils, cassia, and scotch broom (an invasive weed that creates extreme summer fire hazards.) Monsanto is already aware of cross-species contamination from its GMO pollen pollution, particularly in plant families. As the most commonly farmed member of the pea family, look forward to Monsanto imposing its monopoly over the entire pea family in a few short years, via genetically patented pollen pollution and theft by intellectual property rights.

This is poised to be the biggest theft of thousands of years of organic farming technology ever, dwarfing the damage done by runaway GMO corn or canola. It's falls just short of patenting oxygen, and charging us all to breathe.

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