STOP POISONING THE PLANET, MR. PRESIDENT!!!!!

Tell President Obama: Stand up for me, not Monsanto No GMOs. Clicking the text below will add your name to this petition. The petition reads: I am deeply disappointed in your administration's decision to side with big agribusiness over farmers and consumers by allowing Monsanto to market its genetically modified alfalfa and sugar beets. I will continue to fight GMOs and will hold you responsible for the adverse effects these crops may bring to the organic industry and our health. Click here to add your name Dear Friend, For months, we've been asking the USDA and the Obama Administration to deny Monsanto's application to market its genetically modified Roundup Ready alfalfa. Unfortunately, on January 27, President Obama's Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack issued unrestricted approval for GMO alfalfa, brushing aside very real concerns about its disastrous effects on the organic industry, the environment, and our health.1 It also appears that the decision came all the way from the top of the president's political team. According to Maureen Dowd's New York Times column on January 29, David Axelrod — one of President Obama's chief advisors — urged the administration to "plow forward' with the approval of GMO alfalfa in a White House staff meeting.2 Along with our allies, CREDO members have submitted hundreds of thousands of public comments opposing GMO alfalfa on the grounds that it will contaminate non-GMO strains and cause irreparable damage to the organic dairy and beef industry, which relies on GMO-free alfalfa for feed. It is deeply disappointing that President Obama and his administration have chosen to support Monsanto's profits and consolidation of the agricultural sector over the livelihoods of farmers and health of consumers. But we can't give up now. We need to hold the administration accountable for their decision and dig in for the long-term fight against GMOs and Big Ag. Click here to automatically sign the petition to President Obama to tell him how infuriating this decision is, and pledge to hold him responsible for its effects. If GMO alfalfa wasn't enough, just a week later the USDA issued approval for another of Monsanto's GMO products — sugar beets — prior to the completion of a court-ordered environmental review.3 The problems with GMO crops are multifold. When grown in open fields, their genes are extremely difficult to contain. This is particularly true for alfalfa which is a perennial and a profuse pollinator, making it extremely likely that modified genes from its pollen will end up in conventional and organic crops. Because organic certification prohibits the inclusion of GMOs, any contamination renders a food ineligible for the organic label. So otherwise organic cows that are fed contaminated alfalfa are no longer able to produce organic dairy or beef, decimating organic farmers' profit margins. These decisions make it clear that the Obama administration is more comfortable standing up for Monsanto and Big Ag than for the farmers who produce and the consumers who eat our food. The battle is far from over. The recent GMO approvals are already being appealed in the courts. We will continue to follow this issue and alert you to action opportunities. In the meantime, we need to let President Obama know we're watching and that these potentially disastrous decisions are being made by his administration, on his watch. Click here to automatically sign the petition telling him you'll keep fighting today. Thank you for standing up for safe and healthy food. Adam Klaus, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets 1 "USDA Won't Impose Restrictions on Biotech Alfalfa Crop", Wall Street Journal, January 27, 2011 2 "No Axe to Grind", New York Times, January 29, 2011 3 Civil Eats, February 9, 2011