USDA Bans Genetically-Modified Alfalfa

Monsanto Roundup Ready Crops Unsafe for Sale

On September 2, a federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld a nationwide ban on genetically-engineered alfalfa produced by Monsanto .

This is the first time in history that an injunction has been issued against a genetically-modified, government-approved commercial crop. The court ruling suggests that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to fully test the impact of Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" alfalfa prior to granting approval.

Without any scientific evidence, the USDA stated that "buffer zones" around organic farms would stop genetic drift from the engineered crops. Yet, after this ruling, the USDA and Monsanto conceded that the proper studies had not been conducted prior to the crop's approval.

Genetically Altered Crops

Monsanto has released several other genetically-modified organisms, including "Roundup Ready" crops, into the global food chain. The first genetically-engineered crop was soybeans, first introduced in 1996, and, since that time, Monsanto has introduced corn (maize), sorghum, canola, cotton, and alfalfa.

In the case of alfalfa, the appeals court upheld the nationwide ban against "Roundup Ready" alfalfa on the grounds that scientific studies had not shown that the genetically-engineered crop would not contaminate surrounding non-genetically-engineered crops.

The government will impose the ban until we have data to suggest that this new crop is not doing irreparable damage to the environment as well as to the livelihoods of farmers who do not use the genetically-engineered crops. Monsanto's genetically-engineered corn (maize) is contaminating non-genetically-engineered crops in Thailand, Mexico and other countries.

Monsanto and the government have made efforts to cover up scientific data that suggest that genetically-engineered corn may pose a significant risk to human health.

The case of "Roundup Ready" alfalfa is not unique. Alfalfa is our nation's fourth largest crop and is used as the primary forage for dairy cattle in the U.S. While it is legal to sell genetically-modified alfalfa and milk from cows fed this forage in the United States, most countries have bans on these products.