USDA issues court ordered EIS on Roundup Ready alfalfa
Farm and Ranch December 20, 2010 The USDA has issued the court ordered environmental impact statement that evaluates the potential environmental effects of deregulating genetically engineered alfalfa that is resistant to the herbicide glyphosate. The alfalfa is commonly known as Roundup Ready alfalfa. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says USDA considered three alternatives during the preparation of the final EIS. Vilsack: “One, to maintain Roundup Ready alfalfa‘s status as a regulated article. Two, to deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa and three to deregulate Roundup Ready alfalfa with geographic restrictions and isolation distances for the production of Roundup Ready alfalfa. The two preferred alternatives selected in the final EIS are deregulation as one option and the second option the other deregulation option accompanied by a combination of geographic restrictions and isolation distances on the production of GE alfalfa seed and in some locations on GE hay. These measures would help protect the production of non-GE alfalfa seed.” This is not, not a USDA decision document. The EIS is available for public review for 30 days and then USDA will decide how it will proceed. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net. ?
