ARE the 鈥淔rankenfears鈥� that put brakes on genetically modified crops in Europe now brewing in the US?
Organic farmers were dismayed last week when the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared that GM alfalfa can be grown without restriction in the US. They accused the USDA of capitulating to the biotechnology industry.
The farmers were hoping for mandatory separations between fields to stop GM pollen drifting into organic crops. Instead, the USDA expects farmers and seed suppliers to keep GM material apart voluntarily. It said this separation is manageable as only 1 per cent of alfalfa is organic and alfalfa is grown for seed in only a few fields. Elsewhere, it is cut before it produces pollen.
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The case, which began in the courts last year, is far from over. The Center for Food Safety in Washington DC has thrown it back with a legal challenge.