stop SB 633: Oregon's Monsanto Protection Act

[Both Eyes Open]

One scary aspect to the GMO debate is that Monsanto owns the patent on a process that's been called the "Terminator gene" that can render the seeds from the modified plant sterile. If they chose to they could presumably use this process to prevent anyone from harvesting seeds to regrow in following seasons. You would then have to buy new seeds annually. That could have major negative effects on agriculture as we know it... Just one things about this whole thing that bothers me.

 

[AMProducts]

So in my original response to this, perhaps I was a bit terse, however subsequent posters have hit on most of the main points.

This bill creates statewide preemption for GMO's, if this was about firearms, you guys would be all about it. Fact of the matter is this is actually a good thing, "banning" GMO is just as bad or worse than the current system. Before you type out a long response, let me explain:

Current system:

Farmer plants seeds in ground (heirloom variety, saved from last year's crop)
Private investigator sneaks onto field, takes sample.
Sample tests positive for GMO genes
Monsanto sues farmer - farmer has to pay fine, or may counter sue.

Without SB 863 / SB 633:

Farmer plants seeds in ground (heirloom variety, saved from last year's crop)
Allegation is made that farmer is growing GMO seeds
Police raid farmer, shoot dogs, destroy rose gardens
Seeds test positive for GM genes
Farmer goes to jail, loses farm

I don't like GMO's any more than any of you, but before I have a gut emotional reaction to a law I carefully consider it's implications, something it seems few of you do.

Now that this measure has passed, it means that either a petition, or a bill by the legislature will be the next step. In my opinion, having a system that is opt-in is the way to go. It would work like this:

Farmer plants heirloom variety of seeds saved from last year
Farmer has his crop tested to verify it's GMO free
Farmer can proudly affix a "GMO Free" Label to all the products made with his crop
Farmer gets premium price for his goods.

One of the biggest issues we have with GMO is cross contamination, under a system that's opt-in every farmer who is growing non GMO seeds who knows they are non-gmo can get a premium price for his crop. Under many of the labeling schemes that have been put forward there is an impetus put on the farmer to require them to test, and if the crop is contaminated it must now be labeled GMO. In the classic sense of our constitution, this means "guilty until proven innocent". This type of regulation is onerous, it's bad for the farmer, and it's bad for the consumer. If I was the farmer, I would rather simply grow GMO crops than deal with the testing requirements and label everything GMO whether it was or not.

The "organic" labeling is a similar scam. Part of my family are beef ranchers... the beef is organically grown, no hormones, feedlots etc. The cows grow up on the open range, eat grass, run around and do the things that cows do. When they went to get the "organic" certification for the beef there was a whole host of provisions they had to comply with, they had to "prove" that the meat was organic, even though there were no hormones, the cows ate grass, etc etc. It was such a hassle, they said forget it, and continued selling beef in the same category as the feedlot hormone beef.

As much as I don't like monsanto, gmos or the rest, I _REALLY_ don't like excessive government regulation, especially badly implemented regulation like you guys are talking about.

The fact of the matter is, GMOs, Monsanto, and the rest can be beaten out of the market with informed consumers. However, the regulation that prompted SB633 (banning GMO seeds in Jackson County), could be just as devastating (as I pointed out earlier on this post). The real problem is, you cannot simply regulate ignorance away, and most attempts to do so result in lots of collateral damage in this case, that collateral damage is going to be generational family farms in the GMO banning counties.

If you really want GMOs to go away, start calling the companies that make your cornflakes and tell them you're not buying their product until it's GMO free. Every product that contains corn extracts, stop buying it (oh btw, good luck on buying any packaged food, as nearly every one contains corn products). Stop punishing farmers as a way to get back at monsanto, because you're unwilling to do your part to remove GMOs from your diet.

 

[cookie]

Too late the legislature approved of this thru the PERS Bill.
Betsy Johnson voted No but was in the minority.
Prepare your self for Soylent Green, coming to your favorite grocery chain soon. With Monsanto,
the money is flowing like wine and our wino legislaturers are drunk with Monsanto money.

The same Monsanto that said Agent Orange was as safe as water.

 

[OHshoot!]

All the food you eat has been genetically modified over the thousands of years man has cultivated crops or put one bull with one cow.

real corn tastes like crap and real tomatoes make lousy tomato sauce salsa etc.

do you really believe this?

 

[Provincial]

Now that we have a state preemption, it is time to establish standards for GMO conflicts. For instance, if a farmer has planted heritage seed (from his own earlier crop or from a documented source from which he has a bill of sale or invoice) that turns out to be contaminated with GMO genes, there is not a knowing violation of the patent and there should be no liability to the patent owner. Pursuing a lawsuit against a grower in these circumstances would be frivolous, and the plaintiff should be held liable for any expense defending against it beyond the initial response showing the source of the seed.

In a case like shown above, the liability would be on the source of the contamination, meaning the vendor who sold the seed or the neighbor growing the GMO crop that cross-pollinated the innocent bystander.

The patent owner should be responsible (and liable) for keeping his GMO genes from contaminating crops that are intended to be GMO-free. The sword should cut both ways.

I think Monsanto is attempting to have it all their way, and state preemption is an opportunity to protect Oregon farmers if proper legislation (it likely will have to be by the initiative process) is implemented. As it stands now, it looks like Monsanto intends to profit as much or more from negligent dissemination of it's GMO genes as from selling the patented seed.

 

[Burt Gummer]

It must be easy to be an evil ravenous corporation when 37% of US consumers can't even find their own nation on a world globe. Apathetic, deluded, uncaring morons.

Soon enough people here will be happy to be eating goo out of tubs with their fingers while watching ow my balls. The cancer rate will be 50% by then, IQs will be down another 25%, and all independent farmers will be run out of business, but who cares? http://www.thedailysheeple.com/now-...being-blamed-for-gmo-spawned-superbugs_102013

Not a problem.

 

[AMProducts]

Now that we have a state preemption, it is time to establish standards for GMO conflicts. For instance, if a farmer has planted heritage seed (from his own earlier crop or from a documented source from which he has a bill of sale or invoice) that turns out to be contaminated with GMO genes, there is not a knowing violation of the patent and there should be no liability to the patent owner. Pursuing a lawsuit against a grower in these circumstances would be frivolous, and the plaintiff should be held liable for any expense defending against it beyond the initial response showing the source of the seed.

In a case like shown above, the liability would be on the source of the contamination, meaning the vendor who sold the seed or the neighbor growing the GMO crop that cross-pollinated the innocent bystander.

The patent owner should be responsible (and liable) for keeping his GMO genes from contaminating crops that are intended to be GMO-free. The sword should cut both ways.

I think Monsanto is attempting to have it all their way, and state preemption is an opportunity to protect Oregon farmers if proper legislation (it likely will have to be by the initiative process) is implemented. As it stands now, it looks like Monsanto intends to profit as much or more from negligent dissemination of it's GMO genes as from selling the patented seed.

Interestingly enough, I think monsanto's "Terminator gene" would be one way to implement this. Guaranteeing all contaminated offspring would be sterile. (at least theoretically)

On a cross-note, a court case came down fairly recently which bind's Monsanto (and assuming other GMO producing companies) that they will not be able to sue farmers over contamination. The next step of course would be to make GMO producers liable.

Lawsuit over Monsanto GMO Seed Patents and Farmland Contamination

That said, it seems that it's time to start formulating a bill (I'm not sure I ever expected that to come out of my mouth, or keyboard) that will accomplish the following objectives:

1) Established a tiered system for farm products, each being more strict than the last:
a) General - any farm product acceptable for human consumption, including GMO
b) Non-GMO - any farm product acceptable for human consumption is not inclusive of GMO crops
c) Organic - any farm product that is both Non-GMO, and is grown without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides
2) Organic and Non-GMO crops must be sampled at harvest, at a rate not more than 2oz (of product) per acre on a continuing basis during harvest.
a) Farmers, Co-Ops, and other producers may self-certify after applying Bridge PCR, SOLiD, or other test. However, test results must be published using a standard format and available to consumers.

 

[Burt Gummer]

GMO Rat Study Retracted..by New Journal Editor from (Surprise!) Monsanto | The Daily Sheeple

 

[Grunwald]

I NEVER buy anything that says "organic" on it.

Why would I want shriveled up tasteless expensive produce?

GMO haters are the same group that thinks we didn't land on the moon and that 9/11 is a government conspiracy.

Wrong. It is the non organic stuff that is without taste.
Yes the non organic produce is larger and better looking most of the time. That is due to all the chemicals sprayed on it to keep the insects off and chemical fertilizers.
You can eat all your lab created Frankenfrood because frankly I do not care what others do to themselves as long as they do not expect me to finance it or the consequences.
I will eat as much real food as I can.

 

[Dunerunner]

I will be growing much of my own food soon and am currently buying pastured poultry, grass fed beef, venison, wild game, fish and bison, and eating no grains, dairy or grain products.

Back to the good old days....

Find a local rancher who raises naturally grazed cattle.
Find a local Organic Farmer.
Start you own garden.
Find a source for raw milk and make your own raw milk cheeses.
Can your own fruits and vegetables, fish and meats.
Find a local source for free ranged (pastured) chicken, duck and turkey.

Support this type of agriculture and it will flourish.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Apparently other countries are more informed about GMOs and would rather not poison their populace, but not here in America. We gobble it all up in ignorance.

China to US: 'Take Your 60,000 Tons of GMO Corn and Shove It' | The Daily Sheeple

 

[44 Guy]

All the food you eat has been genetically modified over the thousands of years man has cultivated crops or put one bull with one cow.

real corn tastes like crap and real tomatoes make lousy tomato sauce salsa etc.

Really? What do you base that on. I grow all 100% heirloom seed and I can not tell the difference.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

All the food you eat has been genetically modified over the thousands of years man has cultivated crops or put one bull with one cow.

real corn tastes like crap and real tomatoes make lousy tomato sauce salsa etc.

I'm guessing you've never eaten a fresh, ripe heirloom variety tomato. I grew some this year and they were like sweet, flavorful fruit

We have about 900 sq feet of raised organic beds.. we rarely buy foods that are not organic

I was very disappointed that WA voters were too dumb and lemming-like to ignore the massive Monsanto barrage of propaganda in the last election. I didn't hear a single ad for the initiative, because it was a simple grassroots initiative.. way to go, lemmings

 

[Burt Gummer]

I was very disappointed that WA voters were too dumb and lemming-like to ignore the massive Monsanto barrage of propaganda in the last election.

You still have any faith in the sheep? I gave up on the idiot masses long ago. Brainless Americans deserve everything that is coming to them in every way. Tyranny, slave debt, poverty, hopelessness, poisonings, being disarmed and helpless, you name it.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Burt... I was giving it one last chance but you know I have no faith in 99% of humans

 

[Father of four]

Your skewing what this bill does. Which is retain control over GMO with the state so places like Eugene can't create a mess by passing some silly ordinance on their own.

Right, that's Multnomah counties job.

 

[Burt Gummer]

Chinese smart. Americans dumb.

http://rt.com/news/china-rejects-us-corn-087/