A Monsanto rider, whose official name is the “farmers assurance provision" has been slipped into the multi-billion dollar 2013 Agricultural Appropriations bill, would require - not just allow, but require - the Secretary of Agriculture to grant a temporary permit for the planting or cultivation of a genetically engineered crop, even if a federal court has ordered the planting be halted until an Environmental Impact Statement is completed.
All the farmer or the biotech producer has to do is ask, and the questionable crops could be released into the environment where they could potentially contaminate conventional or organic crops and, ultimately, the nation's food supply.
Unless the Senate or we consumers can stop them, the House of Representatives is likely to ram this dangerous rider through any day now. This is Monsantos's response to successful lawsuits brought by the Center for Food Safety on behalf of organic and non-GMO farmers and seed growers that have attempted to block planting of genetically engineered sugar beets and alfalfa while the USDA conducted a court-ordered review of the dangers of contamination.
Tell Your Representative to Strike Sec. 733 from the Agriculture Appropriations Bill!
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has sponsored an amendment to kill the rider. But even if DeFazio’s amendment makes it through the House vote, it still has to survive the Senate. Tell you representatives to support DeFazios ammendment to throw out the “farmers assurance provision" and that you do not want the Ag bill to pass with the biotech protective “farmers assurance provision" in place and to vote down the Ag bill if they have to. You can easily do this at this site. or you can look up your representative and send them a personal note at this site.
