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# Tell USDA to Protect Organic and Non-GE Farmers--Don’t Punish Them
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/organic_farmers_0218140537/
- Published: 2014-02-18T18:36:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T18:42:06.000Z
- Description: An advocacy alert urging comments on USDA's co-existence proposal, which would have organic and non-GE farmers insure themselves against contamination from genetically engineered crops rather than require biotech companies to prevent gene flow.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Politics, #vivvo-import

| [](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3DKZPt05x13LnyHS7nwryMWtN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG0p7a1mvz0MsBXDrjQGmJ4lSvRaw&ref=foodconsumer.org)[ **Tell USDA to Protect Organic and Non-GE Farmers--Don’t Punish Them** ](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3DW9jHPh55T8lqGXvPuRg8StN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGNvCgpk2GlNLzltWyAR6O8ArVEFw&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3DG%252BNqmrQU5XCI2c2a6Jj7utN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEeI8tbUq1yyinYJo66f0ItWOZ1ng&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3D7g1i%252B%252BXgvyEM1HvvV2JwJNN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNFC6YLri9wnheHv-Q%5Fxt3qUSP9ZLQ&ref=foodconsumer.org) USDA is once again trying to blame organic and non-GE farmers for being victims of GE contamination. [Tell USDA that “co-existence” isn’t protection; it is forced GE contamination.](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3Dsx5yoweze4L32nN2vhcQLdN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNEBtGvn4QxsXuuyoUq7PbaYlRAedQ&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3D2HKqJ7fBwUJsfFvpQQblodN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGH8EEg9m6NtXwAyUaIajn91qehoA&ref=foodconsumer.org) [](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3DeYf60ibCnGT5rlNE9ACKaNN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNH0AAJUHwkNfSF67HWJMN3LneoxOQ&ref=foodconsumer.org) **Right now, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened a comment period on the so called “co-existence” of organic, conventional and genetically engineered crops**, but the problem is that misses the point. It calls for “farmer education” to prevent GE contamination rather than the need for USDA to establish-mandatory GE contamination prevention measures. **As usual, the agency’s proposal reads like it was written by the biotech industry.**Despite acknowledging the very real threat to organic and non-GE farmers of contamination by genetically engineered crops, USDA’s recommendations would make a bad situation even worse.[**Tell USDA that its "co-existence" proposal isn’t protection; it is forced GE contamination.**](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3D58Sa4Vg1vgU36B1cZGBo2sP57QCRr4uB&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNGdNaaO6zNoNZmhKc7riW6qBfwg5g&ref=foodconsumer.org)**USDA’s so-called “co-existence” plan fails to offer any protection for organic farmers and would institutionalize transgenic contamination in crops across the U.S.** If implemented, the proposal would require the victims of contamination to buy insurance or pay into a fund to compensate themselves for unwanted contamination, lost markets and other damages. This is simply unacceptable. **It is high time that USDA address the root causes of contamination by stopping gene flow and putting the burden for preventing contamination squarely on Monsanto and the other biotech companies.** An immediate moratorium on the planting of any new GE crops must be established until tried and true mandatory contamination prevention measures are in place to protect organic and non-GE farmers. [**Tell USDA this ill-conceived solution of penalizing the victim is fundamentally unjust and fails to address the root cause of the problem – transgenic contamination.**](http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fsalsa3.salsalabs.com%2Fdia%2Ftrack.jsp%3Fv%3D2%26c%3D4szdvuNtdP%252FlxrKnU0xvGNN9Y5dXzlYf&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNG2vhqrqQgptVa0PiD5phBkKhXwNg&ref=foodconsumer.org) |
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