GE alfalfa is the first perennial GMO

January 27, 2011: The US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the agency will approve Monsanto’s
genetically engineered alfalfa for planting. Alfalfa is a perennial crop pollinated by bees,
GE contamination of non gm crops is inevitable.Alfalfa is used as pasture and high-protein feed for animals like
dairy cows, beef cattle, lambs, and pigs and is also used to build up nutrients in the soil, making it particularly
important for organic farming.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s plant biosafety office approved the technology as safe for food, feed and
environment in 2005. However, performance testing would have to take place and without a plan for
commercialization here, the earliest testing that could begin, would be 2012

Forage Genetics International (FGI), the company that’s commercializing the technology and the one that would decide on
whether to market it to Canadian producers, has said that “First off, they’re going to be pretty focused on getting
things up and running in the U.S.”

Canadian food products are sold globally where many markets, especially in Europe and the Middle East, prohibit
genetically modified agriculture products. The potential for cross-contamination between glyphosate tolerant and
traditional alfalfa varieties could negatively affect these export marketing opportunities.

This new GE crop poses a huge threat to the organic market place in Canada, as well as farmers pocket books! If
our local farms are not able to export their goods to foriegn markets because of gm contamination, it could
have severe economic impacts.

This is a sceniero that is not new to Monsanto and its underling companies. India is a very sad but perfect
example of what can happen when Monsanto gets it’s way. for more info about what is happening in India
click here

The recently shot down Bill C-474, would have protected the Canadian farmers from Monsanto take overs like
this. But as several MP’s stated the day before the bill was voted on
“Monsanto holds a lot of power in countries all around the world, including this government”. Our government
is in Monsanto’s back pocket, and will cater to them, before the Canadian people.

We need to make sure that this round up ready alfalfa never gets the green light in Canada. Here is a great article
that I came across, and think that we should all ablidge the requests in it. If you want to help put a
stop to it.

By Tim Koegel www.organicpasturedpoultry.com

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Long before now, everyone in the organic community as well as most of the conventional community, has become
thoroughly familiar with RoundUp Ready Alfalfa (RRA). Of course there have been countless outcries against
Monsanto, and it has been Monsanto’s name in virtually every print and web article as well as radio and TV
show. But if Monsanto is the devil as many would say, then there has been little if any mention of those doing
the devil’s bidding here, in this case that disciple being Forage Genetics International (FGI). FGI is a wholly
(or rather “unholy”) owned subsidiary of Land O’ Lakes. While Monsanto owns the patented RoundUp Ready (RR) gene,
FGI is the developer of RR Alfalfa and licenses the patents to do so from Monsanto.

Many have asked, “Why the big deal now? After all this is only one more in the string of GMOs.” Perhaps one of
the most significant points in this case is that genetically engineered (GE) alfalfa is the first perennial GMO.
It can cross breed with wild alfalfa and provide a rogue GE gene pool, greatly increasing the probability that
eventually all alfalfa will become contaminated. Alfalfa is also considered “insectary” due to the large number
of insects it attracts, which will also accelerate the genetic contamination. If GMO alfalfa follows the same path
as GMO soy and corn, then within 15 years we should expect to see 80-90% of the 21 million acres currently planted
in alfalfa to be of a GE variety. This means a serious challenge to producing organic alfalfa, vital for organic dairy.
It also means a substantially increased environmental human exposure to the herbicide RoundUp, a known endocrine disrupter.

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Plant pathologist Don Huber, PhD, professor emeritus of Purdue University, says the repercussions of introducing Roundup
Ready technology to another crop, like alfalfa, could be disastrous. “If indications hold true, we’re set up for the
greatest disaster that this country or the world has ever seen, that will dwarf any major famine or drought that has ever
been recorded,” says Huber.

Should consumers choose to take their own action against this assault on human health, we wanted to point out some of the
Land O’ Lakes brand names & licensees so that you can contact them and tell them what you think about their grand “little”
experiment on mankind.

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Here are a few of the most well known names:

Land O’ Lakes

- http://www.landolakesinc.com/utility/contact/default.aspx

- http://www.facebook.com/LandOLakes

- (800) 328-9680

Purina Mills (Livestock feeds)

- http://cattle.purinamills.com/ContactUs/default.aspx

- (800) 227-8941

Dean Foods (Owner of Horizon Organics) packaging LOL products under license

- (214) 303-3400

- Dean Foods Consumer Response P.O. Box 961447 El Paso, TX 79996

- [email protected]

White Wave (Owned by Dean foods) packaging LOL products under license

- Land O’Lakes products: 800-878-9762

- [email protected]

- http://www.facebook.com/pages/WhiteWave-Foods/108451807072

Alpine Lace (Lowfat cheese products)

- http://www.alpinelace.com/contact/other.cfm

Of course you could also contact Forage Genetics directly at:

- Forage Genetics International, P.O. Box 339 Nampa, ID 83653-0339

- (800) 635-5701 [email protected]

- Mark McCaslin, PhD, President – [email protected]

If consumers let these food giants know that they will NOT buy their poisons, they WILL have no choice but to
eventually listen.