ALTERED FOOD NOT WELCOME - TRINITY MAY BAN ENGINEERED CROPS

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Reprinted with permission from The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods, www.thecampaign.org, by Alex Breitler, Record Searchlight, August 3, 2004

WEAVERVILLE -- Some Trinity County residents want to outlaw genetically engineered crops and livestock, a symbolic move from a county that ranks near the bottom in agricultural production in the state. County officials have crafted an ordinance that would make it illegal to cultivate, raise or grow any so-called "GE" organism.

The ordinance goes before county supervisors today on their consent agenda, meaning it's considered a routine issue. The supervisors already voted unanimously to introduce the ordinance, which warns that genetically engineered products have developed with "precipitous speed" and entered the marketplace before potential risks have been studied.

The ordinance would take effect 30 days after passage. Violators would be guilty of a misdemeanor, with fines up to $5,000 per day. Supporters said the regulation will send a message that Trinity County's natural benefits go beyond the beautiful mountains and lakes for which it is known.

"It's not particularly pertinent to our economy, but it is one more feather in our cap for people looking to move to a natural, pristine environment," said Drew Franklin, owner of the Mountain Marketplace natural foods store. Trinity County follows in the footsteps of Mendocino County, which voted to ban altered crops in March. Mendocino was the first county in the country to do so.

Today, more than a dozen California counties have launched similar campaigns, according to the Organic Consumers Association. But Trinity County may be the first to do so by a simple supervisors' vote.

Talk of an ordinance began shortly after Mendocino County's success, said Franklin. Although crops are few and far between in Trinity County � it ranked 56th in the state in 2001, yielding $2.1 million in agricultural products - Franklin said the ordinance would also apply to trees and fish, which the county does have in vast quantities.

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