"NO" to GM ALFALFA!

"NO" to GM ALFALFA!

Postby Oscar » Fri Apr 05, 2013 4:55 pm

ACTION ALERT: April 9 - Stand Together on the Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa.

< http://www.cban.ca/Resources/Topics/GE- ... fa-April-9 >

You can join us on April 9 at any of these locations, or by contacting the Minister of Agriculture!

At noon-1:00 on Tuesday April 9, outside federal Member of Parliament constituency offices, government and corporate offices in 14 communities in Ontario, and 17 locations in other provinces!

Rallies in Ontario: Belleville, Goderich, Guelph, Hawkesbury, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Orangeville, Ottawa, Owen Sound, Port Colborne, Stratford, Toronto, Thunder Bay.

Rallies in other provinces: Wolfville NS, Moncton NB, Montreal PQ, Lévis PQ, Brandon MB, North Battleford SK, Camrose AB, Calgary AB, Edmonton AB, Grande Prairie AB, Red Deer AB, Duncan BC, Kelowna BC, Nelson BC, Vernon BC, Victoria BC, Whitehorse YT.

Plus: Film Night April 4 in Camrose and Film Night, April 9 in Winnipeg

Details are posted at
http://www.cban.ca/april9


Bring your banners. Bring your voices. Together we can stop the release of GM alfalfa.

Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) alfalfa could be registered for use this April! GM Roundup Ready alfalfa varieties have just been cleared for the last step before they hit the market – all they need now is a final rubber-stamp by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Alfalfa is used to produce many of the foods we eat! Alfalfa (commonly harvested as hay) is high-protein feed for animals like dairy cows, beef cattle, lambs, poultry and pigs. It's also used to build nutrients in the soil and is important for organic farming. Because alfalfa is a perennial plant that is pollinated by bees, genetically modified alfalfa will inevitably cross-pollinate with non-GM and organic alfalfa, contaminating farms and threatening the livelihoods of family farmers across Canada.

This call for a Day of Action to Stop GM Alfalfa was issued by the National Farmers Union-Ontario.

How Can I Take Action?

1. Come out on April 9! Bring your friends and family! Bring your home-made signs.
Check http://www.cban.ca/april9 for the latest confirmed actions.

2. Help publicize the action in your community by putting up posters, handing out flyers, and posting through email and facebook. Posters and flyers are at [ http://www.cban.ca/april9 ]

CBAN is also on facebook
[ https://www.facebook.com/cban.canadian. ... on.network ]

3. Contact media to tell them about your concerns and the Day of Action, encourage them to cover the rallies.

4. Email, call or write to your Member of Parliament (you can search for your MP using your postal code at [ http://www.parl.gc.ca ]) and the Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz on April 9 [ gerry.ritz@parl.gc.ca ] Tel: 613-995-7080 Fax 613-996-8472 By mail (no postage required) Hon. Gerry Ritz, House of Commons, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0A6

Background

New Report! "The Inevitability of Contamination from GM Alfalfa Release in Ontario: The case for preventing the introduction of Roundup Ready alfalfa" April 2, 2013 Canadian Biotechnology Action Network
[ http://www.cban.ca/alfalfaONreport ]

GM contamination is inevitable because alfalfa is a perennial crop pollinated by insects. In Ontario and Alberta, weeds are becoming resistant to glyphosate (the active ingredient in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup): another glyphosate tolerant crop like Roundup Ready alfalfa would increase these weeds. Alfalfa is almost always grown in a mix with grasses and establishes readily without the use of herbicides. Farmers don’t want or need Roundup Ready alfalfa. If genetically modified (GM, also called genetically engineered or GE) alfalfa is released it will have negative impacts on a wide range of farmers and farming systems, both conventional and organic, across Canada.

Alfalfa (commonly harvested as hay) is a high-protein feed for animals like dairy cows, beef cattle, sheep, poultry and pigs. It's also used to build nutrients and organic matter in the soil, making it particularly important for organic farming. If it's introduced, GM alfalfa will ruin export markets for alfalfa products, contaminate family farms, make it more difficult for farmers to control weeds, and threaten the future of organic food and farming in Canada. For more information see http://www.cban.ca/alfalfa

Thank you for your action and support!

Lucy Sharratt, Coordinator
Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN)
Collaborative Campaigning for Food Sovereignty and Environmental Justice
Suite 206, 180 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K2P 1P5
Phone: 613 241 2267 ext. 25
Fax: 613 241 2506
coordinator@cban.ca
http://www.cban.ca
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9078
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm

Re: April 9 - Stand Together on the Day of Action to Stop GM

Postby Oscar » Thu Mar 24, 2016 7:15 pm

NFU Calls for Immediate Action to Stop GM alfalfa seed sales in Canada

[ http://us10.campaign-archive2.com/?u=09 ... 5d89e24d0f ]

MEDIA RELEASE March 24, 2016

The National Farmers Union (NFU) has written to Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay asking him to take immediate action to stop Monsanto licensee, Forage Genetics International, (FGI) from selling genetically modified (GM) alfalfa seed in Canada this spring. The NFU also asked the Minister to put border controls in place to prevent importation of contaminated conventional alfalfa seed from the USA.

“The NFU has seen a letter from FGI which says the company may start selling genetically modified alfalfa seed in Eastern Canada for spring planting,” said Jan Slomp, NFU President. “This would be a disaster for farmers because, once it has been planted, there would be no way to stop the GM trait from spreading to organic and conventional farms and crops. There are many domestic and export markets that completely reject alfalfa seeds, hay or pellets with any GM content. Clearly, the Minister needs to take action to protect the interests of Canadian farmers before it is too late.”

“Last week the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties passed a resolution to prevent the introduction of GM alfalfa into Alberta until there is market and consumer acceptance,” noted Peter Eggers, NFU Region 8 (Peace River and BC) Coordinator. “If GM alfalfa is sold in eastern Canada, it would only be a matter of time before it spreads into the West. FGI should not be allowed to sell a product that would cause so much harm to farmers all across Canada.”

“In light of the recent media report of an Alberta seed grower who suspects seed he purchased from the USA was contaminated with herbicide-tolerant GM varieties, we are also concerned about contamination from imported seed,” continued Eggers. “A 2015 USDA study shows that GM alfalfa genes have escaped and are being spread throughout the countryside by pollinators. American alfalfa seed production is therefore at high risk for contamination. We shouldn’t be allowing FGI’s product to enter by the back door either.”

“To protect our alfalfa sector, farmers should not purchase alfalfa seed from the USA,” said Slomp. “When buying from Canadian sources, seek out seed growers who have always used Canadian grown sources. It is legal for farmers to sell farm-saved seed from older varieties that are in the public domain. There are only two registered alfalfa varieties, AC Grazeland BR and Yellowhead, that are not in the public domain.” - 30 -

For more information:

Jan Slomp, NFU President: (403) 704-4364 or (250) 898-8223
Peter Eggers, NFU Region 8 (Peace River and BC) Coordinator: (780) 518-2289 or (780) 568-3805

The Inevitability of Contamination from GM Alfalfa Release in Ontario: The case for preventing the introduction of Roundup Ready Alfalfa.
[ http://www.nfu.ca/story/inevitability-c ... se-ontario ]
Report published by the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN), April 2013.

Contact information:
Website: http://www.nfu.ca
Telephone: 306-652-9465
Email: nfu@nfu.ca

Mailing address:
2717 Wentz Ave., Saskatoon, SK S7K 4B6
Oscar
Site Admin
 
Posts: 9078
Joined: Wed May 03, 2006 3:23 pm


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