Should farmers be allowed to grow crops
free of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs)? Should they be able
to save seeds for planting future crops? Should a large corporation
be allowed to sue farmers when the corporation’s patented seed
contaminates the farmers' fields? Should a corporation be allowed to
patent seed at all?
These issues came to the US Court of
Appeals in Washington, D.C. on January 10th, as thirty-one family
farmers, plaintiffs in the landmark lawsuit OSGATA et al v. Monsanto,
demanded the right to farm without harrassment from the world's
largest manufacturer of transgenic seed. OSGATA – the Organic Seed
Growers and Trade Association – lost their initial law suit, filed
in March of 2011 in New York, but was granted an appeal in the U.S.
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Hundreds of farmers and “eaters,”
concerned with the threat of GMOs to human health, the environment
and organic agriculture, gathered in Washington D.C.'s Lafayette Park
to support the farmers' challenge to Monsanto. Colorful and creative
signs surrounded a variety of speakers, who passionately defended the
right of farmers to grow good, clean food and demanded the
preservation of seed biodiversity. Jim Gerritsen, a Maine organic
farmer and lead plaintiff in the case, along with a number of other
farmer-plaintiffs, spoke to the gathering of supporters after their
hearing and called for, in Gerritsen's words, “Court protection so
that our families will be able to carry on our farming tradition and
help keep America strong”.
Dave Murphy, founder and exective
director of Food Democracy Now!, called on President Obama to keep
his campaign promise to label genetically engineered foods, and
brought attention to the Obama administration's pending approval of
AquaBounty’s “Frankenfish,” a genetically engineered “salmon.”
He, and others, demanded that the President halt approval of GMO
products, including salmon, until independent long-term safety tests
can be conducted.
While we await the court's decision on
whether or not OSGATA's lawsuit against Monsanto can continue,
grassroots activism opposing GMOs continues full-force. If you care
about the consumer's right to buy food and personal care products
free from GMO contamination – if you want organic food and personal
care products to even EXIST in the future – now is the time to make
your voice heard! Learn more from the Organic Consumer Association
(
www.organicconsumers.org) and Food Democracy Now!
(
www.fooddemocracynow.org) about how you can join the growing
groundswell demanding the right of healthful,
environmentally-sustainable food and personal care products for all
people.
So, if you want the healthiest GMO-free
products for you and your family, you have just one simple thing to
look for when choosing which food or personal care products to
purchase. Remember this: your best bet of GMO-free is to buy only
those products that bear the green and white USDA organic seal on the
front label! The USDA organic seal is your guarantee of GMO-free!