The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) recently reported on a controversial battle in the organic food industry to keep Monsanto’s Genetically Engineered (GE) crops from contaminating the nation’s 25,000 organic farms and ranches. The OCA states that “A self-appointed cabal of the Organic Elite, spearheaded by Whole Foods Market, Organic Valley, and Stonyfield Farm, has decided it’s time to surrender to Monsanto.” Top executives from these companies have publicly admitted that they no longer oppose the mass commercialization of GE crops, such as Monsanto’s controversial Roundup Ready alfalfa, and are prepared to sit down and cut a deal for “coexistence” with Monsanto and USDA biotech leader Tom Vilsack. Organic farmers remain concerned that the massive planting of a GE perennial crop, alfalfa, will result in the spread of its GE genes and seeds, contaminating the alfalfa fed to organic animalsandpotentiallycrossingtonon-GE species through cross pollination.
