USDA Roundup Ready EIS public comment period extended

The USDA has published its draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for Roundup Ready® alfalfa and a preliminary conclusion that there is no significant impact on the human environment due to granting nonregulated status. This statement is now open to public comment for a limited time. The response is important to all of agricultural biotechnology.

We need your help today by sending a letter to USDA supporting farmers’ freedom to choose. It’s important for USDA to receive comments from growers and other members of the U.S. agricultural community who know the benefits of biotech crops.

If you are familiar with the public input process, you can comment on line at http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480a6b7a1.

If you would like additional information about how to develop an effective comment and submit it, please visit http://support.roundupreadyalfalfa.com/.

Please act quickly, and be sure to mail any comments by the end of January. The comment period ends on Feb. 16 and USDA will not consider comments received after that date.

Benefits of Roundup Ready alfalfa include:
• Dependable, cost-effective weed control;
• Consistent, high-quality, weed-free hay;
• Improved production efficiencies;
• Increased dollar value for each ton of hay sold;
• Improved environmental characteristics; and
• Improved worker handling safety.

As you know, other biotech crops offer similar advantages, including reduced spraying of pesticides, better weed control and improved productivity and quality.

Background: USDA originally deregulated Roundup Ready® alfalfa in 2005. In 2007, a federal court determined USDA had not adequately documented environmental impacts or lack of impacts, and ordered the agency to conduct a more extensive analysis that led to the draft environmental impact statement. The lawsuit did not raise any questions regarding food or feed safety. The complete draft EIS can be reviewed on the Internet (PDF 6.5MB 1,476pp):
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/biotechnology/downloads/alfalfa/gealfalfa_deis.pdf.

If USDA’s preliminary conclusion is finalized after the public comment period, farmers will again have the choice of planting Roundup Ready® alfalfa.

Thank you for participating in the public comment process and supporting agricultural biotechnology.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 at 10:16 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.