Moratorium on GM Alfalfa
Hello beloved eaters!
There’s a really important proposal before the agricultural committee that’s being voted on Thursday March the 10th. The proposal has been put forth by the liberal party and it calls for a moratorium on GM Alfalfa so that we can conduct further study on the issue – something which is lacking and has been lacking since GM was first released world-wide. Please check out this video that Nathan made to help raise awareness of the issue. Following that is his letter to our MP. Take chunks and use it or just use it for inspiration!
Go to www.cban.ca/alfalfa for quick form letters to send off and show your concern!
Nathan’s letter:
“Right Honorable Mr. Miller,
Mr. Miller I’d like to sincerely thank-you for the opportunity to have a dialogue with you about bill C-474 a few weeks ago. While we were not able to agree on everything and while I was disappointed with your (and the Conservatives unanimous) vote against the bill I appreciated speaking with you one on one.
I’m writing again about the issue of genetically modified organisms because, as I’m sure you’re well aware, the issue has continued to move forward with the introduction of the proposed moratorium on GE Alfalfa as put forward by Liberal MP Wayne Easter. I hope that you will vote in favor of this proposal as well as attend the round-table scheduled for Thursday the 10th in Guelph at the Italian Canadian Center from 7-9 pm.
I’m a first generation farmer. I’m among the most rapidly expanding parts of agriculture in Canada. As the age of the average farmer continues to climb, as farms continue to disappear under consolidation, as complex industrial-scale operations continue to get the full support of government while at the same time garnering vehement consumer backlash, myself and my colleagues represent change, growth and renewal. Myself, my growing number of colleagues and the wave of consumers that support us come at agriculture from a new perspective: we see soil-biology, diverse rotations, natural-systems and resiliency as the technology that will drive Canada forward not privately-owned, proprietary, litigious, expensive and secretive technology like genetic modification.
One of that statements that you made when we spoke - which I really appreciated doing! – still rings in my ear – “Organic cannot feed the world.” This is provably false and in some ways misses the point. The promises of GM have been myriad and sweeping – “GM will feed the world, GM will alleviate poverty, GM will solve hunger and malnutrition.” But not a single one of these promises have come to pass. In fact the exact opposite is true in most cases. Please review this recent report, one of the few that have been created by non-industry funded scientists: http://www.gmwatch.eu/images/pdf/gm_full_eng_v15.pdf
I wasn’t all that surprised by your statement though. When there is scant science from the other side how can you form a proper opinion? The few studies that have come in are showing a disturbing trend – most of the claims of the bio-tech giants are found false (at worst) and shaky (at best). From the safety and promised reduced-rate of use of glyphosate to the promise of larger yields, to the effects of genetic-pollution in weeds. These studies may be preliminary and they may have flaws but the over-all trend is clear: the assumptions we’ve made about GM must be questioned.
I feel this moratorium is critically important because GM technology has been pushed through governments in a dearth of information. We have lived with GM crops for 15 years and we still have very little idea what effects it is having on our bodies or that of our environment. The studies that do exists are sponsored by the same companies that provide the products – how can this level of transparent bias stand? We need a moratorium. We NEED independent, strong, non-industry funded studies that the moratorium brings with it.
We’ve allowed Canola, Sugar Beets, Soy, Corn, Papaya and some squash to be released as GM products and GMOs are in almost everything we eat. Let’s take a step back before we release ANOTHER source of potential harm and take a proper look at what the effects are. I’m not anti-technology BUT I am against this technology in it’s current form – a form control by monopolistic companies pushing a profit driven agenda. GM crops as we know them today have had their chance, it’s time to stop putting more fuel on the fire, and to instead take a step-back and see what effects this fire is having on farmers, on natural systems and on consumers.
The Canadian agricultural sector is putting all it’s eggs in one basket – the basket of complex, industrialized agriculture. I don’t know anyone from stock-brokers, to farmers, to educators that would advise anyone to focus on one strategy at the expensive of all others. This is not a prudent strategy for any part of society or for life in general. It leaves you brittle and unable to react to the increasingly complex and fast moving shocks that are hitting our economy. In fact Canadian agricultural policy has put Canadian’s food system and food sovereignty in extreme jeopardy with it’s singular focus. GM Alfalfa would undermine some of the few alternative systems we have left.
This moratorium is needed for the above reasons and many more. I look forward to seeing this proposal pass and seeing the results of what come from it. Thank-you again for taking the time to correspond with me. I will continue making sure people know that while we may not share the same views, that you are certainly willing to have an open conversation.”
Just had to share some exciting things we’ve seen as the farm starts to green up. First of all, have a look at this picture. See the nice green patch? That’s where we grazed our animals last year. It turns out that our fields have been seriously depleted of fertility over the years. We are able to remedy that in the market garden by adding compost. But in the pasture, we are counting on the animals to bring it back to life.
