Jackson County, Oregon (US) voting on GMO ban

[ThePythonicCow]

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/gmofreejacksoncounty/sites/1/meta_images/large/GMOFreeRW-600x600.png?1366040365
From GMOFreeJacksonCounty.org (http://www.gmofreejacksoncounty.org/):




In 2012, Jackson county residents learned that a Swiss biotech company had been contracting with local landowners to grow GMO sugar beets on their vacant lots. Concerned that pollen from these genetically engineered crops would contaminate non-GMO crops in the area, several citizens stepped forward to address the situation.

Finding no recourse after contacting numerous governmental agencies, they drafted a petition to ban the growing of GMO crops in Jackson county. After collecting over 6700 signatures, the petition was qualified and will appear on the May 20, 2014 ballot as Measure 15-119.

From The Fight Against Genetically Engineered Crops Comes to Jackson County, Oregon (The US Observer) (http://www.usobserver.com/archive/aug-12/gmo-free-jackson-county.htm):




GMO-Free Jackson County is a group of local citizens who are trying to pass a county ordinance through the initiative process to prohibit the growing of GMO crops in our county. It won’t affect what’s sold in stores, or prevent the release of animals like GMO salmon; this is only about plants. The law protects farmers, including a clause that gives those who are currently growing genetically engineered plants a year after enactment to harvest and sell their crops. Any genetically engineered crops planted after enactment will be subject to immediate abatement. There are no new taxes or spending in the ordinance.
For an excellent interview from a real down to earth woman who understands this stuff (and where I learned of this Jackson County initiative), listen to Barbara Peterson's interview on Red Ice Radio (http://www.redicecreations.com/radio/2014/02/RIR-140217.php), posted just yesterday.

Barbara has put together an informative (albeit leisurely paced) slide show on GMO's posted on her Farm Wars (http://farmwars.info) website:

http://aggie.farmwars.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Aggie-Promo.jpg

Introducing Aggie – The Traveling Agrobacterium (http://farmwars.info/?p=3115)

~~~~~~~~~~

Jackson County deserves our support, in whatever little way we can.

[doodah]

Bless 'em and may they succeed!

[turiya]

From The Fight Against Genetically Engineered Crops Comes to Jackson County, Oregon (The US Observer) (http://www.usobserver.com/archive/aug-12/gmo-free-jackson-county.htm):




GMO-Free Jackson County is a group of local citizens who are trying to pass a county ordinance through the initiative process to prohibit the growing of GMO crops in our county. It won’t affect what’s sold in stores, or prevent the release of animals like GMO salmon; this is only about plants. The law protects farmers, including a clause that gives those who are currently growing genetically engineered plants a year after enactment to harvest and sell their crops. Any genetically engineered crops planted after enactment will be subject to immediate abatement. There are no new taxes or spending in the ordinance.

Hey Paul - Seems there was something wrong with the URL link. It looks to be a single quotation mark after htm that needs to be removed - And, yes it works now.:eek:

Also, here's is also some older information. It seems that Monsanto is at the heart of the Agenda 21/Georgia Guidestones' promotion to reducing the human population - namely, GMO is having serious consequences to animal/human reproduction capabilities. If you don't want anymore kids, then eat GMO!


MONSANTO - Infertility from GMO Foods Proven ! Farmers speak out !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIN32bYC_sU

Monsanto's sterilization drive - Max and Stacy, Ep.109

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axgaVcjPmfE

turiya :cool:

[ThePythonicCow]

From The Fight Against Genetically Engineered Crops Comes to Jackson County, Oregon (The US Observer) (http://www.usobserver.com/archive/aug-12/gmo-free-jackson-county.htm):

Hey Paul - Seems there was something wrong with the URL link.
Fixed - thanks!

[Hervé]

Groundbreaking Study Shows Roundup Link to Birth Defects (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_21645.cfm)
International scientists confirm dangers of Roundup at GMO-Free Regions Conference in Brussels
GMO Free Regions, Sept 16, 2010
Straight to the Source (http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/fileadmin/pics/gmo-free-regions/conference_2010/press/Carrasco_soybean_PR.pdf)


http://www.sott.net/image/image/s8/171281/large/Roundup_e1357192553864_644x322.jpg



Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the world's best-selling weedkiller Roundup, causes malformations in frog and chicken embryos at doses far lower than those used in agricultural spraying and well below maximum residue levels in products presently approved in the European Union. This is reported in research (1) published by a group around Professor Andrés Carrasco, director of the Laboratory of Molecular Embryology at the University of Buenos Aires Medical School and member of Argentina's National Council of Scientific and Technical Research.

Carrasco was led to research the embryonic effects of glyphosate by reports of high rates of birth defects in rural areas of Argentina where Monsanto's genetically modified "Roundup Ready" (RR) soybeans are grown in large monocultures sprayed from airplanes regularly. RR soy is engineered to tolerate Roundup, allowing farmers to spray the herbicide liberally to kill weeds while the crop is growing.

At a press conference during the 6th European Conference of GMO Free Regions in the European Parliament in Brussels Carrasco said, "The findings in the lab are compatible with malformations observed in humans exposed to glyphosate during pregnancy." Reporting of such problems started in 2002, two years after large scale introduction of RR soybeans in Argentina. The experimental animals share similar developmental mechanisms with humans. The authors concluded that the results raise "concerns about the clinical findings from human offspring in populations exposed to Roundup in agricultural fields." Carrasco added, "I suspect the toxicity classification of glyphosate is too low. In some cases this can be a powerful poison."

The maximum residue level (MRL) allowed for glyphosate in soy in the EU is 20 mg/kg. The level was increased 200-fold from 0.1 mg/kg to 20 mg/kg in 1997 after GM RR soy was commercialized in Europe. Carrasco found malformations in embryos injected with 2.03 mg/kg glyphosate. Soybeans can contain glyphosate residues of up to 17mg/kg.

In August 2010 Amnesty International reported that an organized mob violently attacked people who gathered to hear Carrasco talk about his research in the town of La Leonesa, Chaco province. Witnesses implicated local agro-industry figures in the attack.

Carrasco is also the co-author of a report, "GM Soy: Sustainable? Responsible?" released on September 16 by a group of international scientists. The report documents a bulk of evidence in scientific studies on the harmful health and environmental impacts of GM RR soy and Roundup.

This report is released together with the testimonies of people who have suffered from such spraying. Viviana Peralta, a housewife from San Jorge, Santa Fe, Argentina was hospitalized together with her baby after Roundup spraying from planes flying near her home. Peralta and other residents launched a lawsuit that resulted in a regional court ban on the spraying of Roundup and other agrochemicals near houses.

ENDS

(1) Paganelli, A., Gnazzo, V., Acosta, H., López, S.L., Carrasco, A.E. 2010. Glyphosate-based herbicides produce teratogenic effects on vertebrates by impairing retinoic acid signalling. Chem. Res. Toxicol., August 9. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/tx1001749

(2) GM Soy: Sustainable? Responsible?" is released on September 16 by Andrés Carrasco and eight other international scientists: http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/conference2010/press.html (http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/conference2010/press.html)

[Hervé]

Meanwhile... next door:

'Bizarre' Cluster of Severe Birth Defects Haunts Health Experts

By JoNel Aleccia


A mysterious cluster of severe birth defects in rural Washington state is confounding health experts, who say they can find no cause, even as reports of new cases continue to climb.

Federal and state officials won’t say how many women in a three-county area near Yakima, Wash., have had babies with anencephaly, a heart-breaking condition in which they’re born missing parts of the brain or skull. And they admit they haven't interviewed any of the women in question, or told the mothers there's a potentially widespread problem.

But as of January 2013, officials with the Washington state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had counted nearly two dozen cases in three years, a rate four times the national average.

Since then, one local genetic counselor, Susie Ball of the Central Washington Genetics Program (http://www.yakimamemorial.org/medical-services-genetics-program.asp) at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, says she has reported “eight or nine” additional cases of anencephaly and spina bifida, another birth defect in which the neural tube, which forms the brain and spine, fails to close properly.

“It does strike me as a lot,” says Ball.

And at least one Yakima mother whose baby is part of the cluster says no one told her there was a problem at all.

“I had no idea,” said Andrea Jackman, 30, whose blue-eyed daughter, Olivia, was born in September with the most severe form of spina bifida. “I honestly was really surprised that nobody had said anything. If my doctor hadn’t wanted us to see the geneticist, I wouldn’t have known.”


Full article: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/bizarre-cluster-severe-birth-defects-haunts-health-experts-n24986

[Hervé]

Pesticides blamed for spike of illnesses in Washington state

Published time: May 13, 2014 17:34 Get short URL (http://rt.com/usa/158716-pesticides-blamed-ilness-washington-state/)


http://cdn.rt.com/files/news/26/bf/c0/00/1.si.jpg
Reuters / David Mercado

Washington state health officials are pointing the finger at pesticides as they try to explain the recent surge in illnesses in the central part of the state.

According to Reuters, approximately 60 people have been struck with some kind of pesticide-related illness since March – ranging from breathing difficulties and skin rashes to nausea. With health officials looking into 15 separate cases of pesticide exposure, the speculation is that the two situations are connected.

So far, the Washington State Department of Health has stated that at least eight people have had to seek emergency medical treatment due to nausea, vomiting, and headaches. Cases have been reported in Adams, Benton, Chelan, Douglas, Franklin, Grant, and Yakima counties.

In a statement to the Associated Press, state health officer Kathy Lofy said the illnesses could be the result of pesticide drift, which occurs when the chemicals are carried away by the wind or not applied properly.

"We're concerned with this spike in potential drift exposures and are calling our partner agencies to work with pesticide applicators on following state and federal rules to prevent drift," Lofy said, state health officer. "Protecting people from unnecessary exposure to these chemicals is a responsibility that needs to be taken seriously."

As reported by the Yakima Herald, all of the recent drift cases have taken place in areas with orchards. When individuals come into contact with the pesticides, they may suffer from eye and skin irritation and have difficulty breathing. According to Reuters, agricultural workers, utility workers, and residents living near orchards are among those who’ve become ill.

“To see this many pesticide drift cases this early in the season is a concern,” Washington state Department of Agriculture spokesman Hector Castro told the Herald.

Although 24,000 pesticide applicators are licensed in the Washington, state and federal law bars the spraying of pesticides that could come in contact with people, even in cases where the wind plays a role in distributing the chemicals. The Department of Agriculture said it is reminding pesticide sprayers to follow regulations and keep track of wind movement in order to avoid making people ill.

Meanwhile, many of the same counties affected by pesticide drift – including Yakima, Benton, and Franklin – have also reported a spike in a rare and deadly birth defect that triples the average rate seen across the rest of the United States. According to NBC News, seven cases of anencephaly, which describes babies born with parts of their brain and skull missing, were counted in 2013, raising the total count since 2010 to 30.

"We're really concerned about the fact that the anencephaly rates are still so high," said Mandy Stahre, an Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to NBC. "We were sort of hoping that this may have been a statistical anomaly or would go away."

As RT reported (http://rt.com/usa/rural-washington-birth-defects-445/) earlier this year, health officials are unsure as to why anencephaly rates have jumped so high in the area. Some experts believe the rise could be linked to prolonged exposure to pesticides, but there has been no clear evidence linking the two.

[Ravenlocke]

Hi Paul,
thank you for posting this. I just wanted to add that Josephine County is also in the fight against GMOs and they have added their bill against gmos to the voting ballot. Between the two counties the fight is to protect farmers in the whole Rogue Valley. So please include Josephine County as well in you support and well wishes.
Sincerely,
Ravenlocke

[TargeT]

I grew up in the rogue valley; beautiful place... if there was any type of economy in that state and a lot less nosy "liberal" types I'd move back in a heartbeat. Beautiful temperate climate... it's the Mediterranean of the US...

[Hervé]

Dr. Don Huber: GMOs and Glyphosate and Their Threat to Humanity (http://foodintegritynow.org/2014/04/08/dr-don-huber-gmos-glyphosate-threat-humanity/)

April 8, 2014 by Carol Grieve' (http://foodintegritynow.org/author/carol/) 19 Comments (http://foodintegritynow.org/2014/04/08/dr-don-huber-gmos-glyphosate-threat-humanity/#comments)


http://i0.wp.com/foodintegritynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/don-huber-head-shot.jpg?resize=239%2C211 (http://foodintegritynow.org/2014/04/08/dr-don-huber-gmos-glyphosate-threat-humanity/don-huber-head-shot/)


Dr. Don Huber is an award-winning, international scientist and professor emeritus of plant pathology at Purdue University. Today he spoke with Food Integrity about the dangers of GMOs and Glyphosate (Roundup). Dr. Huber’s 50+ years of research and expertise in the area of plant pathology with a focus on epidemiology and control of soil-borne pathogens gives him much credibility in discussing the science behind GMOs and Glyphoshate. He spoke about Glyphosate, which is the most widely used herbicide in the world, being many times more toxic than DDT. He explained how Glyphosate, a mineral chelator, herbicide and patented antibiotic, affects our human body as well as the environment and the inherent dangers associated with this chronic toxin.


http://i2.wp.com/foodintegritynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/breast-milk.jpg?resize=274%2C184 (http://foodintegritynow.org/2014/04/08/dr-don-huber-gmos-glyphosate-threat-humanity/breast-milk/)


Dr. Huber discussed the alarming information about the recent finding of Glyphosate in human breast milk. He talked about the need for immediate research in this area–as the levels were much higher than the levels found in urine. His concern for future generations on the under-researched and flawed science of genetic engineering is fact- based and comprehensive. He stated:
“We’ve pretty much sacrificed an entire generation of children. The longer we go, the more damage that is going to accumulate.”

Dr. Huber’s explanation of Colony Collapse Disorder is well-researched and clear as to the causes of the bee-die off and its correlation to Glyphosate.



His message is passionate, articulate and science-based and one that needs to be heard widely.



It is important to understand the facts if we are going to stop this dangerous process of genetic engineering and the widespread use of Glyphosate–the most toxic herbicide on the planet!



This may be one of the most important shows we have ever done. Listen to Dr. Huber’s message below:


http://media.blubrry.com/foodintegritynow/p/content.blubrry.com/foodintegritynow/FIN-2014-04-08-E121.mp3

[Hervé]

Monsanto's Darkest Secret: Roundup's Effect On The Fetus (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/monsantos-darkest-secret-roundups-effect-fetus?page=2)

Posted on: Saturday, May 17th 2014 at 3:30 pm
Written By: Dr. Kelly Brogan, M.D. (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/gmi-blogs/drbrogan@kellybroganmd.com) and Sayer Ji, Founder (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/gmi-blogs/sayer%20ji)



http://cdn.greenmedinfo.com/sites/default/files/ckeditor/Sayer%20Ji/images/roundup_causes_birth_defects.jpg


"Could you please make sure the eggs aren't runny? I'm pregnant."


At their first prenatal appointment, pregnant women are doled out a list of NO's including deli meats, fish, and unpasteurized cheese. There is a growing awareness of the fact that this list may be dangerously NON EXHAUSTIVE (and largely misguided, especially when it comes to unpasteurized dairy and eggs).

Even a recent, bold pronouncement by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (http://www.rcog.org.uk/womens-health/clinical-guidance/chemical-exposures-during-pregnancy-scientific-impact-paper-37), attempted to sound the alarm about chemical exposures with recommendations for "unproven" but potentially harmful exposures. They describe the importance of considering chemicals in personal care products, over the counter medications and supplements, metals and industrial pollutants in fish, and pesticides. However, they dilute their message by making statements such as "Realistically, pesticides are so rigorously regulated that human exposure via food residues is usually minimal, even in non–organic products."

Unfortunately, the concept of "dose makes the poison" is no longer operative in a world of multiple, synergistic chemical exposures, the toxicity of which appears to be contingent (http://kellybroganmd.com/snippet/toxic-breastmilk/) upon each individual's endocrine and immune system.

The limitations of human resilience are revealed in the vulnerability of a growing fetus. A mystically orchestrated process, conception, embryogenesies, and the interplay of an incalculably vast number of variables defies our ability to comprehend how these "instructions" could be folded into two cells, the egg and the sperm.

The study of epigenetics, or the environmental influence on genetic expression, has given us a keyhole look into this vast room of fetal development. We have learned that availability of nutrients (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24114450), presence of stress hormones (http://kellybroganmd.com/snippet/prenatal-brain-development-pesticide-exposure/), and even beneficial bacteria (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23594611) all contribute to optimal expression of fetal genes. This expression is relevant not just for the proper growth of fingers and toes, but for the long-term health of the offspring. This concept is called the fetal origins of adult disease (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085525/), and has helped to elucidate the early underpinnings of chronic diseases like cancer (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23403130) and obesity (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24763115). To date, toxicologists are ill-equipped to assess for these long-term epigenetic effects, but animal studies (http://skinner.wsu.edu/research.html) are revealing transgenerational inheritance of pesticide-induced defects.


The Birth Defect-Causing Properties of Roundup (glyphosate) Hidden for Decades
In 2010, after a dramatic increase in reports of birth defects in Argentina (a four fold increase) since 2002, a lab study was performed (http://www.i-sis.org.uk/glyphosateCausesBirthDefects.php) that found low doses of the active ingredient in Roundup known as glyphosate, the most prevalent herbicide worldwide, causes birth defects in frog and chicken embryos. This study was followed by others demonstrating cardiac anomalies, embryonic death, and multifocal malformations suspected to be related to oxidized vitamin A toxicity caused by glyphosate. A more recent study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24731878/?i=9&from=glyphosate) in tropical fish has echoed this dose-related concern with harrowing outcomes:
"survival and hatching percentage decreased as glyphosate concentration increased. Absence of pectoral fin(s) and cornea, permanently bent tail, irregular shaped abdomen, and cell disruption in the fin, head and abdomen are among the common teratogenic effects observed."
These studies represent only the tip of a vast, submerged iceberg of research, which clearly show glyphosate causes birth defects, and that the pesticide industry has known about for a suprisingly long period of time.

Earth Open Source, A group of independent scientists (think not paid to scientifically support corporations) published a compendium of literature that they called "Roundup and Birth Defects: Is the public being kept in the dark?" (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-and-birth-defects-public-being-kept-dark) stating, "The pesticide industry and EU regulators knew as long ago as the 1980s-1990s that Roundup, the world's best selling herbicide, causes birth defects – but they failed to inform the public."

The report was the byproduct of an international collaboration of concerned scientists and researchers, and reveals in shocking clarity how the industry's own studies show Roundup causes birth defects in laboratory animals. One of the damning studies was even commissioned by Monsanto, the manufacturer of the herbicide.


The findings of the report were summarized as follows:


Industry has known from its own studies since the 1980s that glyphosate causes malformations in experimental animals at high doses
Industry has known since 1993 that these effects also occur at lower and mid doses
The German government has known since at least 1998 that glyphosate causes malformations
The EU Commission's expert scientific review panel knew in 1999 that glyphosate causes malformations
The EU Commission has known since 2002 that glyphosate causes malformations. This was the year it signed off on the current approval of glyphosate.

The EU Commission had previously ignored or dismissed many other findings from the independent scientific literature showing that Roundup and glyphosate cause endocrine disruption (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/breaking-glyphosate-roundup-carcinogenic-parts-trillion-range), damage to DNA (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/research-roundup-diluted-450-fold-still-toxic-dna), reproductive (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/it-time-acknowledge-roundup-herbicide-contraceptive) and developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-weedkiller-brain-damaging-neurotoxin), and cancer (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/monsanto-funded-science-denies-emerging-roundup-cancer-link), as well as birth defects. Many of these effects are found at very low doses, comparable to levels of pesticide residues found in food and the environment, challenging the notion that there is such thing as a "safe threshold" of exposure.

http://cdn.greenmedinfo.com/sites/default/files/ckeditor/Sayer%20Ji/images/roundup_birth_defects%281%29.jpg

Effects likely to be missed include endocrine disruption, effects on development, amplifying effects of added ingredients (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/roundup-herbicide-125-times-more-toxic-regulators-say) (adjuvants), effects of combinations of chemicals, and effects on bees. Also likely to be missed are effects found in independent peer reviewed scientific literature (http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-ingredient/roundup-herbicide), as the old directive does not explicitly say that such studies must be included in industry's dossier.

In the realm of persistent and bioaccumulative pesticides and herbicides, testing only the active ingredient or "AP" may leave manufacturers falsely reassured. Toxicant synergy has exploded the simplistic notion of "the dose makes the poison" and a critical paper in Biomed Research International entitled Major Pesticides Are More Toxic to Human Cells Than Their Declared Active Principles aimed to address flawed assumptions around pesticide and herbicide toxicity, finding that Monsanto's Roundup may be up to 10,000 times more toxic than glyphosate alone (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3955666/).

Similar to the non-placebo-controlled trials on vaccines, adjuvants and preservatives are seen as irrelevant bystanders in the consideration of risk profile. As the top of the food chain, infants are most susceptible to this bioaccumulation, and to passage of Roundup into their growing systems. Moms Across America and Sustainable Pulse (http://sustainablepulse.com/2014/04/06/worlds-number-1-herbicide-discovered-u-s-mothers-breast-milk/#.U0LFoK1dXjo) have demonstrated the first ever quantification of Roundup in breastmilk. They found that in 3/10 samples from around the country, breast milk contained levels 760-1600x higher than is permissible by the European Drinking Water Directive. American urinary samples contained levels 10x higher than that of Europeans, and the 3 highest levels were in women.

Monsanto has told us not to worry, before. The deleterious effects of DDT, Agent Orange, and PCBs were only acknowledged after decades of accumulated evidence of irreversible danger to human lives. This preliminary data calls for a cease and desist of all glyphosate spraying until and if appropriate safety testing can be undertaken that accounts for the signal of presence and and persistence in fetal circulation, breast milk, and the environment at large, in the context of evidence of harm. Until organic and biodynamic farming takes more pervasive hold, avoid these unstudied chemicals by focusing on organic produce (http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/?tag=2012FoodnewsAd&gclid=CJztyZz7270CFaLm7AodhUAAeQ), pastured animal foods (http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok?affId=168522), and non-GMO labeled products (http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/). We must stand up in protest against this nonconsensual experiment affecting all forms of life on the planet.

[Hervé]

GMO ‘right to know’ battle heats up in Oregon
(http://rt.com/usa/159332-gmo-oregon-bill-food/)
Published time: May 16, 2014 09:04
Get short URL (http://rt.com/usa/159332-gmo-oregon-bill-food/)

http://cdn.rt.com/files/news/26/e6/40/00/3.si.jpg
Reuters / David Mdzinarishvili


Tags Robert Bridge (http://rt.com/tags/robert-bridge/), USA (http://rt.com/tags/usa/)

Activists pushing for greater disclosure on genetically modified foods in Oregon said they are working on a petition campaign to require labeling on such products, while one small community has plans to ban GMO food altogether.

Oregon Right to Know, a grassroots campaign (http://www.oregonrighttoknow.org/) to label foods using genetic modified organisms (GMOs), said it was actively collecting signatures to get its measure on the November ballot in Oregon. Meanwhile, the citizens of one county in the state will vote next week whether to ban modified products from their stores altogether.

"It's going to be a major effort," Sandeep Kaushik, spokesman for Oregon Right to Know, told Reuters. "We believe that people have a right to know what's in the food they eat and feed their family."

The group must collect 87,213 signatures by July 3 for consideration of the bill, which if it passes would require companies that sell GMO food to begin labeling their products by January 2016.

The campaign has already raised about $826,000 in donations so far this year, in addition to $621,000 in cash.

Activists say consumers have a right to choose between products that are genetically engineered, especially given the questionable health and environmental impact of the crops, and products that are grown without genetic modification.

"We have a right to know important information about the food we eat and feed our families," Aurora Paulsen, an attorney at the Portland-based Center for Food Safety and a co-petitioner of the initiative, told the Oregonian. "We should have the right to choose whether we want to buy and eat genetically engineered food."

As opposed to other developed countries, the United States does not require GMO products to be proven safe for consumption, despite significant safety concerns.

“A review of the scientific literature shows there are still open questions about the safety of genetically engineered foods, with independent studies finding some evidence of adverse effect, while other studies, often funded by industry or performed by industry-affiliated scientists, tend to find no safety problem,” Michael Hansen, senior scientist with the Consumers Union, said in a statement.

"This will provide Oregonians with the knowledge needed to make informed decisions about the foods they purchase and consume, and to identify any potential health problems that may arise from consumption of such foods."

Genetic engineering is different than conventional food cultivation and raises potential health issues, Hansen says.

Meanwhile, the growing consumer backlash against GMOs is forcing new requirements on the products. Vermont earlier this month became the first state to mandate GMO labeling.

However, the powerful GMO industry insists their products pose no threat to public health, and that enforcing mandatory labeling will only increase costs.

Patrick McCormick, who supported efforts against GMO labeling in 2002, expressed his doubt over the benefits of labeling.

"In the end, they don't provide meaningful information to the consumers on the product," he said.

Sixty-four countries require GMO product labeling, including 15 nations in the European Union, as well as Japan, Russia and China.

[ThePythonicCow]

Well, son of a gun ... it passed !!

uS7-3kVOWjk

Oregon counties defeat Monsanto, ban genetically modified crops

Widely supported referendums banning the cultivation of genetically engineered crops passed in two Oregon counties Tuesday. Although over $1 million was spent by outside groups, including Monsanto, to try and defeat the measures, Jackson and Josephine Counties voted 66 and 58 percent in favor respectively. RT's Lindsay France has more on what this ban on GMO crops means for the future of food.

[ThePythonicCow]

More from Beating Monsanto in the Food Fight: Oregon Counties Vote to Ban GMO Crops (TheNation.com) (http://www.thenation.com/blog/179962/beating-monsanto-food-fight-oregon-counties-vote-ban-gmo-crops):

=============



Now that the US Supreme Court has undermined historic controls on monopoly politics, corporate cash flows into election campaigns at an unprecedented rate.

But it does not always win.

Just ask the farmers of Oregon’s Jackson County.

They took on some of the largest chemical, biotechnology and agribusiness corporations in the world—Dow, DuPont, Monsanto, Syngenta, among others—in an election campaign where 95 percent of the money spent against them came from outside the county.

But when the ballots were counted Tuesday night, the farmers won.

Jackson County voted by a 2-1 margin to ban the genetically-engineered crops.

"The voters here have many generations of fruit and vegetable growing, so they're among the most educated voters. The opposition spent a million dollars and couldn't convince the people," explained Chuck Burr, the president of the Southern Oregon Seed Growers Association, which describes the region’s fertile valleys as “the perfect seed growing environment.”

It was a remarkable victory, which the corporate money power and its political allies did everything in itheir power to stop.

When Jackson County’s farmers learned that Syngenta AG, the Swiss agrochemical giant, was growing genetically-altered sugar beet seeds in Jackson County fields, local farmers worried about the threat posed by cross pollination of genetically-modified seeds with their local and organic seeds. So they did what Americans are supposed to do. They gathered in local Grange halls and community centers and organized a petition drive to put a measure banning GM seeds on the ballot.

Then the firestorm hit.

The Oregon legislature, with encouragement from the chemical giants, quickly enacted what critics referred to as “The Monsanto Protection Act.” As it was happening late last year, Melissa Wischerath and Mary Beth Williams of Oregon’s Center for Sustainability Law argued in the Eugene Weekly newspaper, that “the bill is based on corporate-funded American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) proposed legislation from 2007."

The Center for Media and Democracy's Rebekah Wilce has detailed how ALEC has been stepping into food fights, noting that in recent years the group has developed "model legislation" such as the “Preemption of Local Agricultural Laws Act."

In fact, ALEC promotes a wide range of so-called “pre-emption bills,” which take authority away from cities and counties, where local democracy can often beat back big money, and moves it to the state level. There, generous campaign donations can sway legislators and expensive TV ads can swing referendum votes—as has happened on proposals for GM labeling in California and Washington, where the corporations and they allies spent tens of millions to prevail in 2012 and 2013.

But the pre-emption came too late to stop the farmers of Jackson County. Because they got their campaign going before the legislature acted, they were exempt from the top-down pre-emption.

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Unlike Jackson County, Josephine County does not have an exemption from the new Oregon pre-emption law prohibiting counties from overriding the state, so Josephine County will have to take their case to the court for their anti-GMO vote to have effect.