03/06/07 No Cloned Milk & Monsanto Injunction

No cloned milk & Monsanto injunction. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Milk from cloned cows is no longer welcome at the nation`s biggest milk company. Although the government has approved meat and milk from cloned animals while it conducts further studies, Dean Foods Co. of Dallas said Thursday that its customers and consumers don`t want milk from cloned animals. The $10 billion company owns Land O`Lakes and Horizon Organic, among dozens of other brands. Federal scientists say there is virtually no difference between clones and conventional cows, pigs or goats. Smaller companies such as Ben & Jerry`s Ice Cream and Organic Valley previously have said they oppose milk from clones. Milk companies' worry that concern over cloning could turn people away from dairy products. So far, public opinion appears mixed. Biotech crop critics said they were asking for a permanent injunction to stop the planting of Monsanto Co.`s genetically modified alfalfa after failing to negotiate a settlement with U.S. regulators by a court-imposed deadline on Friday. The group alleged that biotech alfalfa could create super weeds resistant to herbicide, hurt production of organic dairy and beef products because alfalfa is an important cattle feed and cause farmers to lose export business due to risks of contamination to natural and organic alfalfa. The suit also alleged that contamination of conventionally grown alfalfa could force farmers to pay for Monsanto`s patented gene technology whether they wanted it or not. Also Monsanto said it was filing a motion on Friday to intervene in the closely watched case, which is one in a string of recent court rulings criticizing U.S. government oversight of biotech crops. Monsanto said several farmers also plan to ask to intervene in the case. Now with today's Food Forethought, here's Susan Allen. Time marches on, but some things remain consistent, for instance the inconstancy of the Pacific Northwest Salmon runs. In reviewing an archived program dated July 2003, I reported on the fact that activist groups were becoming quite vocal about removing damns on the Columbia and Snake River to save salmon in the midst of the highest return of salmon since 1960. Just three years latter the numbers of fish were back down and the federal government was raising the ire the commercial fishing industries by limiting the ocean salmon season. Thankfully for those whose livelihoods depends on commercial fishing (including the coastal tourist industry) 2007 is looking to be a better year for the Chinook. It is projected that will be five times more Klamath River salmon then last year, with one small caveat being the fact many Klamath River salmon will be just 3 year olds and under the 27 inch limit. Unless the Pacific Fishery Council determines differently this week salmon traditionally opens March 15. Thanks Susan. That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.