Protecting Canadian Alfalfa

Consumers might well wonder why all the fuss about alfalfa. Well, if you purchase naturally raised meat or organic milk or cheese products or eat sprouts and use herbal remedies to treat your ills, you better pay attention. The Canadian government has once again enabled Monsanto, the arch villain to organic and conventional farmers everywhere, to strike another blow against the organic and natural food market as they continue to wage a war on consumers who prefer to eat natural foods.

Alfalfa is full of nutrients and vitamins and minerals and benefits both humans and animals when consumed. Alfalfa sprouts are a popular supplement to salads and sandwiches. But the leaves contain eight essential amino acids and are used in herbal remedie. Alfalfa is used as a laxative and natural diuretic. It is used in the treatment of urinary tract infections, kidney, bladder and prostrate disorders. It alkalizes and detoxifies the body, especially the liver. Alfalfa promotes pituitary gland function and contains an anti-fungus agent.

In organic and conventional farming, heritage alfalfa has the highest feeding value of all common hay crops and is critical to the organic and conventional farmers. An important forage crop throughout the world, organic dairy farmers feed heritage alfalfa to their cows and naturally raised cattle graze on it. Further, alfalfa is an important rotational crop and soil builder, it helps prevent erosion and crowds out weeds making it invaluable to farmers who do not use petroleum based herbicides or chemical fertilizers.

As the Canadian government continues to grant GMO giant Monsanto access to the Canadian commercial seed market, this time approving GE herbicide tolerant alfalfa seed, farmers and consumer groups believe this compliance will mark the death knoll for the organic market. GM seed crops are not an option for the natural food market. In compliance with organic standards worldwide, Canada prohibits the use of GE organisms in organic production. But with the introduction of GE Alfalfa into neighbouring fields organic and conventional farming operations run the very real risk of field and feed stock contamination. And once GMO gets into Canadian heritage alfalfa there will be no other substitute for organic soil building. The ripple effect would wipe out many organic and non GE businesses, from organic seed and forage growers to organic dairy farmers and retailers. Every consumer’s right to cultivate, sell and eat non-GE and organic food would no longer exist.

Alfalfa is flowering crop that is a member of the pea family. It is an aggressive species. A perennial which normally lives 4-8 years, it can survive more than twenty years depending on climate and seed variety. It’s exactly these competitive characteristic that makes contamination such a threat.

While the USDA supports the ‘coexistence’ of GMO crops with conventional and organic crops suggesting that contamination is unlikely to occur because alfalfa is typically harvested before 10 percent of the plants reach full flower, farmers understand that in practice it ain’t necessarily so.

Alfalfa relies on pollinators to propagate making the crop subject to the vagaries of time and pollinators. Farmers cannot always harvest the crop at the appropriate time. So when flowering occurs and the farmer is no where in sight, Nature takes over. When the plant is in bloom, wild bees like the leaf-cutter bee love to frequent the crop and they don’t recognize borders. In organic and conventional farming this isn't a problem. But bees forage at distances over 10 kilometres so field contamination from a neighboring field is a real threat. In fact, the threat is so real non GMO alfalfa farmers are required to remove their hives from the vicinity of GMO alfalfa fields. So much for ‘coexistence’.

With this approval, it becomes evident the Canadian government is not looking at the market impact nor has the bureaucracy provided protection for non GM alfalfa farmers and exporters. Farmer and consumer groups have urged the Canadian government not to permit the introduction of GE alfalfa in Canada saying the move would have an irreversible negative impact on the organic market. Their argument is solid. If alfalfa becomes contaminated in Canada there could well be a repeat of what happened with the organic canola market.

GE canola was approved for commercial use in Canada 15 years ago. Today, there is virtually no organic canola in Canada as the entire heritage crop has been contaminated by genetically engineered material. And its not just canola. The European Union blocked shipments of Canadian flax last September because they were contaminated with a deregistered unapproved GE seed. After the incident, flax prices fell from $12 a bushel to $6 dealing a devastating blow to Canada’s flax industry. Shipments resumed in late 2009 under new restrictions.

The only effective way to safeguard non-GE alfalfa is to prevent genetically engineered varieties from getting into the environment in the first place. The GE alfalfa is a living organism and all its subsequent genetic material is driven to reproduce. Once its out there, you can’t stop it.

Fighting Back
Released by Forage Genetics Int'l in 2005, Roundup Ready alfalfa was developed by Monsanto by inserting a patented gene patented is resistant to glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide also known as Roundup. Most grassy and broadleaf plants, including heritage alfalfa are killed by Roundup. Only genetically modified Roundup Ready alfalfa can survive the glyphosate herbicide.

Roundup Ready alfalfa has been farmed in the US from 2005-2007. Planting was halted when farmers and consumer advocates took legal action in 2006. The Center for Food Safety and Geertson Seed Farm sued USDA-APHIS to stop farmers from growing Roundup Ready Alfalfa. Their primary claim was the increased spread of glyphosate-resistant weeds due to the application of Roundup Ready herbicide and the contamination of of organic or conventional crops of genetically engineered alfalfa gene.

Early in 2007, the 9th Circuit Court in San Francisco decided in favor of the plaintiffs, forcing USDA-APHIS to conduct an Environmental Impact Study. In May 2007, the California Northern District Court also issued an injunction order prohibiting farmers from planting Roundup Ready alfalfa until the EIS study was completed. As a direct result the USDA put a hold on any further planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa from 2007-2011. The EIS study was completed in December 2010.

Monsanto retaliated and sued Geertson Seed. The case went to the US Supreme Court in 2010. The case was decided in favour of Monsanto. (Monsanto Company v. Geertson Seed Farms. In June 2010, the US Supreme Court issued a ruling and determined that the 9th Circuit should not have prohibited further plantings, but should have allowed USDA-APHIS to determine the safety of the technology. Both sides claimed victory.

The final Environmental Impact Statement was issued by APHIS December, 2010. The study determined the gene flow issue, impacts on organic growers and the issue of Roundup-resistant weeds did not present a risk to the environment. U.S. Supreme Court lifted the ban and kicked the matter back to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which decided to deregulate genetically modified alfalfa. Planting resumed in February 2011.

But this fight is not over yet. In March, 2011 the Dakota Resource Council in North Dakota has joined a lawsuit in California over biotech alfalfa. While proponents say Roundup Ready alfalfa can save farmers time and money, and help keep food prices low opponents have experienced a new farming nightmare. Evidence is mounting that a new invasive species is encroaching on farmland and culprit is none other than Monsanto`s flagship glyphosate herbicide, Roundup.