County Government OKs Anti-GMO Ballot Initiative in California
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Dan Hamburg (467-0329) or Laura Hamburg (621-0906)
December 3, 2003
BOARD OF SUPES DOES ITS JOB: GMO-FREE MENDOCINO INITIATIVE
TO BE VOTED MARCH 2, 2004
A packed Board of Supervisors chambers erupted in applause late Tuesday
afternoon when the Board voted unanimously to place the "GMO Free Mendocino"
initiative on the March ballot. The initiative, if passed by voters, will
prohibit the "propagation, cultivation, raising and growing of genetically
modified organisms in Mendocino County." It is not a labeling law. It leaves
alone products found in the aisles of grocery stores.
County Counsel Peter Klein led off the discussion by describing the "limited
discretion" that the Board had in this matter. He explained that the Board
had no authority to change the language of the initiative, but could choose
to adopt it outright or place it on one of the next two general election
ballots (March or November 2004). He further stated that though the
initiative might be challenged after passage, its current language satisfied
legal requirements.
Klein made reference to a letter from the California Plant Health
Association (CPHA) which charged that the initiative violated several
provisions of the US Constitution, including the "commerce clause" and
"equal protection statutes." Klein disputed both contentions. His top deputy
Frank Zotter pointed out that CPHA, an "industry front group", is highly
partisan. In fact, he stated, it seemed that their basic objection was that
Mendocino County agriculture would gain an "economic advantage" by
disallowing the propagation of GMOs!
During the course of a two hour public hearing, speaker after speaker rose
to defend the need for the initiative and to urge the Board to either pass
the measure immediately or place it on the March ballot. John Norris of
Farmer's Food Express, an organic food distribution business in Leggett,
told the Board that "GMOs are being rejected worldwide" and GMO crops have
in many cases proven "unsalable."
Tim Bates, a 20-year member of the Mendocino County Farm Bureau and
president of the Mendocino-Lake Chapter of the California Certified Organic
Farmers (CCOF), compared GMO agriculture unfavorably with organic
agriculture. "Organic is an ag success story, and a fast-growing worldwide
trend," he stated. Bates pointed out that organic products now constitute a
$10 billion industry with double digit annual growth without significant
government support. In contrast, GMO farmers "have suffered multibillion
dollar losses and taxpayers have wasted billions in subsidies and
contamination costs." Bates also contended that GMOs actually use more
chemicals than conventional agriculture. A strong indication of the dangers
associated with GMOs, Bates told the Board, is that insurance companies
refuse to insure GMO crops and manufacturers refuse to accept liability for
GMO products. He concluded by urging the Board to help protect Mendocino
County's stellar reputation as a "center of sustainable, organic excellence
with multimillion dollar exports of these products."
Fred Marshall, a long-time gardening instructor at Mendocino Community
College, urged the Board to "shut the barn door before the horses get out."
Referring to a recent study by the prestigious Independent Science Panel
(www.indsp.org <www.indsp.org/ ), Marshall warned of "transgenic
contamination" and the inability of GMO and non-GMO agriculture to coexist.
He stated that once GMOs were introduced to Mendocino County, damage to
existing agriculture would be "unavoidable" and "irreversible."
Els Cooperrider spoke for the Mendocino Organic Network, the principal
proponent of the initiative. A former university scientist, she objected to
any portrayal of the initiative effort as "anti-science." Instead, she
claimed that "global giants are taking control of our food supply in the
interest of profit rather than the well-being of humans." She strongly urged
the Board to be mindful of the more than 4,000 county voters who signed
petitions to place this measure on the ballot. She also referred to over 200
individual endorsements received to date from prominent local farmers,
ranchers, physicians, scientists, and teachers.
The motion to place the initiative on the March ballot was made by Hal
Wagenet and seconded by David Colfax.
Ukiah Daily Journal
GMO initiative heads to ballot
By GLENDA ANDERSON/The Daily Journal
Wednesday, December 03, 2003 -
County supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to place on the March ballot
an initiative that would prohibit the growing of genetically modified
organisms in Mendocino County.
Supervisors' only other choices were to adopt the initiative as a county
ordinance or to send it for further study because signature gatherers had
turned in enough names to qualify the measure for the ballot.
The initiative was authored by Mendocino Brewing Company owner Els
Cooperrider and the Mendocino Organic Network.
It's an effort to protect the county's organic farms from being contaminated
through pollination by genetically modified organisms, which reportedly has
happened in other places. If that happens, organic farmers could no longer
market their produce as organic, Cooperrider said in a recent interview.
Cooperrider said non-organic crops in the county also could be adversely
affected by the growing of genetically modified crops. She said wineries in
the county would not be able to market their products in Japan or Europe,
where there is greater opposition to genetically modified foods, if those
countries are concerned about contamination.
Volunteers collected more than 4,000 signatures to qualify the initiative
for the ballot.
Cooperrider has said she expects challenges from large corporations.
The county counsel's office opined there were potential challenges, but none
that should keep supervisors from placing the initiative on the ballot.
Agricultural Commissioner Dave Bengston, who would be responsible for
enforcing the initiative, should it become a county law, had some misgivings
about the proposed regulation. He said his office does not have the funding
or staff to take on the obligation.
He also said potential future economic benefits of genetically modified
organisms -- such as the relocation of a company that produces them to
Mendocino County -- would be lost.
Another potential loss would be if a genetically modified crop was developed
that eliminated the need for pesticides, Bengston said in his report to
supervisors.
"This ban closes the door on all production whether or not it should prove
to be dangerous or beneficial," he said.
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