I just read in the "News Bleat" section of Sheep! magazine that the Center for Food Safety has filed suit against the USDA for approving Monsanto's "Roundup Ready Alfalfa." This legal action dates back to February but this is the first I've heard of this genetically engineered alfalfa.
According to the article, the USDA Inspector General released a report in December which criticized the USDA. The report said, "Current [USDA] regulations, policies and procedures do not go far enough to ensure the safe introduction of agricultural biotechnology."
Frankly, this scares the crap out of me. We at Liberty Farm have gone to expensive lengths to avoid feeeding any genetically engineered grain to our chickens but GE alfalfa is much more worrisome than GE grain because it is a perennial. Fields of alfalfa can live for many, many years and be pollinated by many, many thousands of bees. Figure as many as four blooming periods a year versus one for annual crops times ten or more years. These bees then range for miles. Even the certified organic hay fields won't be safe.
tags: center food safety, alfalfa, GMO, GE alfalfa, GM alfalfa
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