McCaslin: “That determination that FDA made is based on what they call substantial equivalents, so there’s no philosophical basis for this. They don’t say philosophically it should be; they actually ask that tests be run to prove that it is (safe). You’re (Geertson) incorrect in saying those tests aren’t conducted. They’re required for every trait that gets deregulated, so there’s a tremendous amount of safety information that is generated as far as that approval process with FDA.”

Roundup Ready corn and soybeans have been out for awhile. Were there problems with those crops or can’t we compare the two with Roundup Ready alfalfa in terms of crop pollination in fields?

Huberty: “Alfalfa is different. It is the first product that is insect-pollinated and it’s a perennial. So the amount of gene flow between those crops can be very different than what it is for alfalfa. Those are the issues that the judge pointed out that we needed to address in our environmental impact statement.”

I’d like to see both (transgenic and conventional alfalfa) be available. But I’ve also thought about the edges of the fields and the future ability to control stray (transgenic) plants. How much of a problem is contamination?

McCaslin: “There’s been a seed certification program in existence for several decades, and it’s administered by AOSCA, the Association of Official Seed Certifying Agencies. But it’s exercised on a state level by state crop improvement associations. AOSCA has national standards for practices that it requires for certified seed production that ensures genetic integrity of the seed you produce. And one of the requirements is that you have a minimum of 165’ of isolation between your seed field and any other alfalfa whether that’s feral growing on roadsides, seed fields or a hay field. In order to get the seed certified, there’s at least one visit by the seed certifying agency and in most cases, two or three. Those practices have been widely practiced and our seed certification system is really the envy of the world. We’ve done a phenomenal job across all crops, not just alfalfa, of maintaining genetic integrity of varieties through seed cert and practices. So with Roundup Ready alfalfa, the basis is, you obviously follow all the seed certification rules. Realizing that gene flow is a more sensitive issue, we’ve adopted additional isolation requirements. In California, for example, rather than 165’, the rule is three miles.
     “A whole chapter addresses the issue of feral alfalfa plants and potential gene flow from feral to hay and feral to seed (in the just-released Gene Flow in Alfalfa: Biology, Mitigation, and Potential Impact on Production, published by the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology). Again, their conclusion in the paper was that, although there very likely will be some feral alfalfa plants with the Roundup Ready transgene, it represents such a small pollen source in comparison with seed production, especially with the pollen available in the seed field, it should have no significance.”