Possible contamination of conventional alfalfa’s seed supply by Roundup Ready alfalfa was a hot point of the most recent debate over whether or not the transgenic crop should again be legalized.

National Hay Association members, at their Sept. 17-20 annual meeting, heard from two of the leading figures in the Roundup Ready issue. They are Mark McCaslin of Forage Genetics, the company licensed by Monsanto to develop Roundup Ready alfalfa, and Phillip Geertson, the semi-retired Greenleaf, ID, conventional seed producer who’s the major plaintiff in the federal lawsuit that resulted in the ruling to pull the transgenic crop off the market.

Also a part of the discussion was Andrea Huberty, USDA-APHIS project coordinator for the Roundup Ready alfalfa environmental impact statement (EIS), which is required before the transgenic alfalfa’s fate is determined.

All three of the panelists made 10-minute presentations. McCaslin told of the benefits of biotech in finding ways to add stress tolerance, digestibility and yield improvements to alfalfa and stressed that the transgenic crop could safely coexist with conventional alfalfa. Geertson showed slides of forage alfalfa gone to seed, feral alfalfa along ditches and roadsides and volunteer alfalfa in fields to make a case for the possibility of contamination of conventional alfalfa with Roundup Ready alfalfa.

Huberty told the group that the EIS is on schedule and that she hopes to have it available for public comment by the end of the year. She also said the statement’s purpose was to look at issues like possible contamination or other impacts that may happen with the deregulation of Roundup Ready alfalfa.

Afterward, hay growers, dealers and brokers asked the panel questions on contamination, safety and grower or dealer/broker liability with contaminated seed or hay. Here’s a snapshot of the question-and-answer period:

Is there any evidence that biotech alfalfa is safe or unsafe for feed use as compared to conventional alfalfa?

Huberty: The Food and Drug Administration evaluated data submitted on Roundup Ready alfalfa “in terms of whether or not it was safe for food or feed. They found that there is essentially no difference except for the trait of Roundup resistance in the alfalfa.”

Geertson: “There are a lot of people who do not agree with that. They feel that the genetically engineered plants should be checked for safety, for health of the animals and health of the people. You’re dealing with a product with no tests as to whether it’s safe or not. By this philosophy, they could get the gene out of the strychnine plant and move it into corn and corn could be as deadly as strychnine.”