GE Alfalfa Contamination in the US Proves Warnings Right

http://www.biosafety-info.net/article.php?aid=1001

Publication date: September 19, 2013 Posting date: September 19, 2013

THIRD WORLD NETWORK BIOSAFETY INFORMATION SERVICE  Dear Friends and Colleagues  Re: GE Alfalfa Contamination in the US Proves Warnings Right  Alfalfa seed and plant samples taken from an Eastern Washington farm have been confirmed by Washington State’s Department of Agriculture to have been contaminated by Monsanto’sgenetically engineered (GE) variety resistant to the company’s herbicide, Round-Up. The testing followed a report by a farmer after a consignment of his hay was rejected for shipment by a broker who found it to contain the genetic trait.    GE alfalfa was approved for commercial cultivation in 2011 amidst strenuous objections, including legal action, from civil society over a decade. Because alfafa is a perennial crop, widely prevalent in wild/feral forms, and largely pollinated by bees, critics repeatedly warned that GE ‘Roundup Ready’ alfalfa would likely irreparably contaminate natural alfalfa varieties and harm conventional and organic growers' businesses.  Alfalfa is the fourth-most widely grown field crop in the US covering over 17 million acres with an export market valued at USD 1.25 billion. Alfalfa is also the “queen of forages” for the national dairy industry and especially the organic diary sector, now worth USD 26 billion a year and growing at 20% annually. GE contamination could cause the organic dairies to lose their key source of organic feed.  This is the second case of GE crop contamination in the US this year. The first involved experimental GE wheat (only approved for field trials) which should have been quarantined or destroyed in 2005 when Monsanto abandoned the project. Following its discovery in a field in Oregon in May 2013, Japan and South Korea temporarily stopped its imports of some US wheat.  "It's telling that these things keep happening repeatedly," said George Kimbrell, a senior attorney with Centre for Food Safety. "It's a systemic problem. We have a failed regulatory system for these crops." With best wishes,  Third World Network 131 Jalan Macalister 10400 Penang Malaysia Email: twnet@po.jaring.my Website: http://www.biosafety-info.net/ and http://www.twn.my/ To subscribe to other TWN information services: www.twnnews.net Item 1  Exclusive: Washington state testing alfalfa for GMO contamination Carey Gillam, Reuters Baltimore Sun, September 11 2013 http://touch.baltimoresun.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-77364951/

Item 2 

New GE Contamination Reported in Washington State Alfalfa

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/press-releases/2510/new-ge-contamination-reported-in-washington-state-alfalfa# 

September 12, 2013— An export shipment of alfalfa from Washington State was rejected after the shipment tested positive for contamination from genetically engineered (GE), herbicide-resistant alfalfa.  The news follows on the heels of yet another contamination episode involving GE wheat in Oregon, highlighting the inadequacy of the U.S. regulatory structure for GE crops.  Like the vast majority of all GE crops, both contaminating GE crops are engineered by Monsanto to be resistant to its herbicide, Roundup. 

Item 3 

Monsanto investigated in new case of suspected GM crop contamination

Farmer in Washington state reports alfalfa shipments rejected after testing positive for genetic modification 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/12/gm-crop-contamination-alfalfa-monsanto 

Authorities were investigating a new suspected case of crop contamination on Thursday – the second in the Pacific north-west in five months – after samples of hay tested positive for genetically modified traits. 

Item 4 

Genetically modified alfalfa confirmed in Washington test sample
The Associated Press, September 13 2013

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2013/09/genetically_modified_alfalfa_c.html

SPOKANE - Alfalfa seed and plant samples taken from an Eastern Washington farm contain a low level of genetic modification, even though the farmer reportedly did not want to grow such crops, the state Department of Agriculture announced Friday.

The agency said the samples showed a low-level presence of a genetic trait called Round-Up Ready, meaning they are able to tolerate the well-known herbicide. The tests did not reveal the percentage of Round-Up Ready presence in the samples. The testing was ordered after a hay farmer who intended to grow alfalfa that was not genetically modified had his crop rejected by a broker who found evidence of genetically modified pesticide resistance.