Dear Representative ____________________________,

I am writing to request that you ask the House Agriculture Committee to hold hearings into the failure of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to protect organic crops from contamination by genetically engineered crops.

On April 19, 2006, the USDA issued a report titled "The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States." Astonishingly, this report completely ignores the problem of contamination of organic crops from cross-pollination by genetically engineered crops.

I find this omission outrageous since the USDA knows it has been very well documented that organic corn IS being contaminated by transgenic varieties. For example, the Union of Concerned Scientists put out a report titled "Gone to Seed" that revealed genetically engineered DNA is contaminating most of the crop seeds in the United States. This contamination seriously threatens organic crops, which by definition of the USDA are produced without genetic engineering.

The Union of Concerned Scientists report states that "transgenic contamination of traditional seed varieties poses a special threat to the future of organic agriculture, an increasingly important sector of U.S. agriculture." It further says that "the ease with which the traditional seed supply can be contaminated with transgenically derived DNA unfairly frustrates organics farmers seeking to deliver high-quality products."

Americans are flocking to organic food in record numbers. Organic food represents one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. food industry. A huge number of Americans are choosing organic foods because we believe they are a healthy choice for our families, and more beneficial for the environment. After all this brilliant success, it would be a great tragedy to see the purity of organic foods destroyed by genetic contamination.

Organic agriculture must be protected from contamination and damage from genetically engineered crops. Do your part by asking the House Agriculture Committee to hold hearings on this important matter as soon as possible.

Please write me back and tell me what you plan to do to address this issue of genetic contamination of organic crops in the United States before it grows into a national scandal. Thanks you.

Sincerely,
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