Monsanto’s GM alfalfa contaminates Washington crops
by Rady Ananda
An eastern Washington field has been contaminated with Roundup Ready alfalfa, the state Ag Department confirmed on Friday. The farmer reports he did not plant it, nor wants it.
Of course we knew this was going to happen. Alfalfa seeds are only 2mm in size and can spread for miles on the wind alone. The Oregon crew who sabotaged the GM beet fields in June didn’t go far enough.
Alfalfa is planted on 17 million acres in the US and earns over $8 billion a year, reports Reuters, adding:
Exports of hay, including alfalfa, have been rising, hitting a record $1.25 billion in 2012, according to the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Washington state is one of the largest producers of alfalfa for export.
Alfalfa is the most common forage used for grazing, and the organic meat and dairy industries are dependent on GMO-free hay.
Not only the organic industry, but biotech’s inability to contain their product is also economically sabotaging export farmers who use chemicals, but not GM seeds.
