It was a day of action, three times over. The first order of the day was the most noisy and fun – a day or national protest against introduction of Monsanto’s Genetically Modified, pesticide ready Alfalfa as cattle feed in the eastern provinces of Canada.

Arnold Taylor, David Avery, Bobbie Blair & Tony Mitra before MP Warawa’s office – protesting against GM-Alfalfa

I had spoken with CBAN (Canadian Biotechnology Action Network) and COG (Canadian Organic Growers), both of Ottaway, to learn a bit more of the issue. Relevant points might be:

1. Alfalfa is a wildly grown plant and naturally suited to withstand weeds and grows in open patches, side of railway tracks, on road side and on open prairie alongside grass, well enough and does not require protection against weeds.
2. It, along with grass, is an important natural feed for “organic” raised cattle, and other farm animals, as well as wild herbivores.
3. The western provinces have a good export market for Alfalfa to Asia. The buyers do not want Genetically modified Alfalfa. Introduction of GM-Alfalfa can jeopardize a lucrative export market. So the western provinces have rejected GM-Alfalfa.
4. In the east, the export market is smaller, and alfalfa is largely for internal consumption for cattle feed and to plant between crops in industrial farms, for nitrogen fixing.
5. It is therefore in the east, where GM-Alfalfa, or Roundup ready alfalfa, is to be introduced. The side effect of it is to sell a lot of Roundup pesticide, to be sprayed over alfalfa fields. The GM-Alfalfa itself is likely to cross polinate and spoil the organic alfalfa of the prairies. The pesticide is to do the rest.
6. This essentially can kill the “Organic” farms phylosophy of the east – perhaps one of the business goals behind this drive to Monsantoize the prairies. Also, the long term after effect of all this may turn out into the rape of Canadian environment, food security and bio-diversity.

So, for all these reasons, we stood in front of the local MP’s constituency office in Langley, and signed petitions to stop introduction of GM-Alfalfa in the Canadian east. We also stood by the street corner waving flags and passing the message to passing motorists.

Folks that came and I spoke with, are

• Saskatchewan mega-farmer and Anti-GMO crusader Arnold Taylor
• Organic Vineyard owner/ operator David Avery
• GMO Free Langley crusader Bobbie Blair
• Green Party election candidate and anti-GMO crusader Wally Martin
• Langley anti-GMO crusader Lucy Nickel
• Terry Lynn Sullivan – cancer patient and victim of pesticide / GMO farming.
• And many others

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So, where should GM-Alfalfa go ? Well, if Monsanto wishes to elevate GM-Alfalfa, it might consider putting some of these seeds in a rocket and send it to outer space. What do you say ?