https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/05/21-1
[multiple links in on-line article]
Published on Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by Common Dreams
'Tide is Turning' as Oregon Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Ban of GE Crops
Ronnie Cummins: "These victories make it clear to agribusiness giants
like Monsanto and Dow that the day has come when they can no longer buy
and lie their way to victory."
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer
In a victory for sustainable food advocates everywhere, two counties in
Oregon on Tuesday voted to ban the cultivation of genetically engineered
(GE) crops.
Despite an onslaught of spending by agribusiness giants such as DuPont
and Monsanto, voters in Jackson County and Josephine County overwhelming
took a stand for measures protecting "seed sovereignty and local
control" of food systems. The Jackson Measure 15-119 passed 66-34
percent, while the Josephine County Measure 17-58 passed 58-42 percent.
"It's a great day for the people of Oregon who care about sustainability
and healthy ecosystems!" GMO Free Oregon wrote on their Facebook page
after receiving the final tally.
“Tonight family farmers stood up for our basic right to farm,” cheered
Elise Higley, Jackson County farmer and campaign director for the Our
Family Farms Coalition, in a statement following the vote.
Calling the bans a "tremendous victory" for the citizens and farmers of
the counties, as well as for the national anti-GMO movement, Ronnie
Cummins, national director of the Organic Consumers Association (OCA),
said the votes are further proof that, when given a voice, citizens will
choose a sustainable food system over corporate-dominated agribusiness.
"These victories make it clear to agribusiness giants like Monsanto and
Dow that the day has come when they can no longer buy and lie their way
to victory," Cummins said. "By using the tools of democracy, such as
ballot initiatives, citizens can overcome corporate and government
corruption through honest campaigns, built on a foundation of truth,
science and fair play."
In Jackson County, proponents of the ban raised only $375,000 compared
with the nearly $1 million raised by the opposition, whose donors
included Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont Pioneer. Spending in Josephine
County was lower on both sides. According to OCA, the Josephine ban will
likely be tested in court after that state's passage of the
controversial law S.B. 863 in October 2013, stripping counties of the
right to pass GMO bans. The Jackson County measure is exempt because it
had qualified for the ballot prior to the passage of the law.
The Oregon counties now join a growing list of communities who have
enacted similar bans including Santa Cruz County, Trinity County, Marin
County and Mendocino County in California, and San Juan County in
Washington state, as well as numerous cities nationwide. Hawaii’s Big
Island and Oahu have banned GE taro and coffee.
Earlier this month, Vermont passed a landmark law which mandates that
all GE foods sold in the state must be labeled. Unlike Conneticut and
Maine, which passed measures that require a certain number of other
states to also enact GMO legislation, Vermont's law has no such "trigger
clause."
"Where the federal government has failed, local efforts like this are
taking action," said George Kimbrell, Portland-based senior attorney for
Center for Food Safety (CFS). "The tide is turning towards a sustainable
food future and GE-free zones are a vital step.”
“The people of Jackson and Josephine Counties have given the rest of the
country a model – and the inspiration – to protect local communities,"
added Rebecca Spector, who spearheads state labeling initiatives for
CFS. "This is just the beginning.”
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