Monsanto's 'Roundup Ready' Alfalfa Controversy

Alfalfa is a fodder crop for livestock (Refer to Exhibit IV for the picture of alfalfa). It is one of the crops grown on a wide scale in the US. Alfalfa is regarded as one of the best available animal feeds and is primarily used as food for cows. Other livestock that feed on alfalfa include beef cattle, sheep, chickens, turkeys, and horses.

Alfalfa sprouts are at times used as an ingredient in salads in the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The tender shoots of alfalfa are also consumed in some places as a leafy vegetable. Besides, the dehydrated alfalfa leaf is used as a dietary supplement in the form of tablets, powders, and tea. Parts of the alfalfa plant which are very old are, however, not eaten much because they have high fiber content.

Monsanto's RRA angered environmental groups, organic farmers, and consumer groups who feared that biotech alfalfa would lead to the creation of superweeds and would contaminate organic and conventional varieties of alfalfa. They were apprehensive that this would ultimately result in hampering the export business. Though RRA created a huge uproar, it was not the first time that the Monsanto had been the subject of criticism. In 2004, when the shareholders of Monsanto requested the company to provide evidence which would prove that the GM crops were safe, Hugh Grant, Chairman of the company, turned down their plea saying, "We believe all of our products ... can be safely used."...