SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER: FAMILY FARMERS AND ANTI-GMO ACTIVISTS CHALLENGE MONSANTO

 

 

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!