If you don't eat alfalfa you might not be too worried about new rules that appear to allow widespread, unregulated use of genetically modified strains of the plant to be produced in the United States. But alfalfa, or hay, as it is commonly known, is one of the largest overall crops after soybeans, wheat, and corn, and is used to feed the nation's cattle and dairy cows.
Organic food producers and consumers are especially concerned, as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) like the new strains of alfalfa that are set to appear in fields will risk cross fertilization with other crops and, they allege, cause other damages to the environment at large. Organic alfalfa that has been contaminated with non-GMO strains and fed to cows and cattle will also cause dairy and meat production to lose the ability to be labeled as organic, which cannot contain GMOs.
An advocacy group, the Organic Consumers Association, has recently come out attacking a number of business and trade groups that have been working to oppose the new USDA measures and who support non-GMO and organic food production. One group, the Organic Trade Association, has published a letter stating its disappointment with the government's move to deregulate alfalfa. Whole Foods has also responded on its blog. A variety of organic industry leaders have responded through the Non-GMO nonprofit group website. Gary Hirshberg, of Stonyfield Farm, defended himself against the Organic Consumers Association attacks stating that the only decision the organic industry had was between accepting total deregulation of alfalfa or deregulation with caveats. A ban just simply wasn't among the choices that the USDA had on the table, he says.
As for my two cents: I agree with Gary Hirshberg and others who say that infighting within the environmental movement is really disadvantageous to all of our goals. We must be willing to listen to each others' arguments without resorting to attacks and exaggerations (see their article "Organic Elites Surrender to Monsanto"). Saving the earth is not a zero-sum game which will be won or lost over a single executive order (although I will grant that the alfalfa decision is a big one, with big winners and losers). Saving the earth has to be about all the pieces - everything from being a good consumer, voting in elections, being a convincing advocate and activist, doing good work, being a good neighbor and community member, and so on. It also takes a great amount of skill and technical knowledge, including being able to understand law, policy, science, and conflict resolution. I think the Organic Consumers Association is wrong to lash out at others in the environmental movement and organic food industry who are trying hard to work for long-term goals in the face of overwhelming odds.
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