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Truths & FactsAGAINST OUTSIDE CORPORATE MONEY |
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GMO Free Josephine County Campaign Coordinator explains Measure 17-58 and the GMO Free Movement in Josephine County, Oregon. |
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Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families 
GMO Free Josephine County
A coalition of notorious out-of-state, multinational, multi-billion-dollar biotech and pesticide corporations (hiding behind nice-sounding entities such as the Oregon Farm Bureau Federation, Oregonians for Food and Shelter and Good Neighbor Farmers) has descended on our beautiful region. Why? To attempt to stop Josephine County voters from passing measure 17-58, the measure that will restrict the growing of genetically engineered crops in our county in order to protect our local farms and families.
They have spent nearly a million dollars so far (and counting) to buy advertising (including 14 arguments against the measure, costing $400 each, in our voter’s pamphlet!) designed to scare voters into voting against our own best interests.
What they are doing to the truth is the same thing they do to genes: forcefully inserting their version and calling it new and improved. However, just like the genetic code, the truth doesn’t need to have anything added.
Below are the lies they paid for. And then the facts. Please read, print, email, and share widely. While their outside corporate money may buy a lot of lies, it can’t change the facts.
What are Genetically Engineered Plants?
Lie: The creation of genetically engineered seeds is comparable to the cross-breeding that our ancestors did to create hardier versions of heritage crops.
Truth: Genetically engineered plants (also known as genetically modified organisms or GMOs) are created in a laboratory using high-tech and sophisticated techniques, including gene-splicing between species, which is used to cross a virus, bacteria, or even an animal, with a plant. These untested, unnatural creations are the antithesis to what our ancestors did, and what responsible farmers do: cross-pollinate different varieties of the same plant to help naturally bring forth desirable characteristics. Measure 17-58 does not apply to traditional cross-breeding.
What will it Cost Josephine County Taxpayers to Enforce 17-58?
Truth: It is anticipated the cost of enforcement will be ZERO dollars, based on similar restrictions (such as in the California counties of Marin, Mendocino, Trinity, and Santa Cruz). In fact, in Marin County, agricultural profits increased approximately 700% after a similar measure was passed, with zero enforcement costs. Violators, not taxpayers, will pay the costs to enforce the measure, and no “field clean up costs” will be required.
Genetically engineered crop contracts are highly regulated by the biotech firms. Almost all farmers planting genetically engineered seed must sign one of these complex, legally binding, restrictive contracts. Syngenta and/or Monsanto are highly unlikely to contract with a farmer to plant genetically engineered seed in a restricted zone. This measure provides for a 12-month phase out period, the same length of time as these contracts. The issue of the cost of enforcement is a red herring.
GMO Free Josephine County and Oregonians for Safe Farms and Families are dedicated to working with Josephine County officials to keep enforcement costs minimal and to assist with defending litigation brought by outside corporate interests, such as the Oregon Farm Bureau, in the event they sue Josephine County (as they have publically threatened to do.)
What will be the Economic Impacts of Passing 17-58?
Lie: This measure will make local farmers unable to compete in the marketplace.
Truth: While Measure 17-58 will cost Josephine County taxpayers nothing, it has the potential to bring significant economic benefits to the region. Consumer concern about the safety of genetically engineered agriculture and food has placed non-genetically engineered and organic crops in a premium position. In fact, the organic sector of agricultural production is the one area seeing economic increases (up to 11% in some areas).
Additionally, non-genetically engineered and organic seed production on Rogue Valley farmland reaps major economic benefits for the farmer and the community. As an example, one local seed producer reports gross profits as high as $50,000 per acre for organic seed, and provides local residents with jobs. Conversely, a contract for seed production from Syngenta nets the farmer less than $1,000 per acre (and Syngenta brings outside workers to work the crops). Clearly, organic and non-genetically engineered crops and seed production are the right economic choice for Josephine County.
Southwest Oregon is one of the last U.S. regions where crops aren't widely genetically contaminated. We lead the country in organic and heirloom seed production. Non-genetically engineered, non-pesticide farms and food consumption are increasing here. Why give away our precious heritage for foreign corporate profits, when protecting our heritage costs us nothing?
Can’t Genetically Engineered Crop Growers and Other Farmers Co-Exist?
Truth: Among local supporters of 17-58 are DOZENS of family farmers, and they are saying they are at risk! If we allow genetically engineered crops to be grown in this valley, they will be out of business. Pollen from genetically engineered crops CAN AND WILL cross-pollinate with non-genetically engineered crops of farms and gardens and genetically contaminate them, resulting in huge economic losses. The wind and our pollinators such as bees and birds do not recognize property or county lines.
Currently, we have no reliable way of knowing what entity is planting or planning on planting genetically engineered crops here. There is no mechanism for registration and mandatory agreements to avoid contamination. That is what Measure 17-58 aims to address.
VOTE TO MAINTAIN OUR FOOD INTEGRITY. VOTE YES ON 17-58.
What About Our Farmer’s Property Rights?
Lie: Farmers have a right to grow what they want, in whatever manner they want, on their property, without regard to their neighborsTruth: Measure 17-58 was drafted to honor and protect our family farmers' and gardeners' right to grow safe crops, free from genetic contamination by foreign corporations who want to treat our beautiful valleys as a laboratory to grow their “Frankenseeds.” The passage of Measure 17-58 is an opportunity for Josephine County residents to have their voices heard. We should have the right to make decisions about local issues involving economic, health and safety concerns. Local agricultural practices affect us all. Foreign corporations should have NO VOICE in deciding local issues.
Most industries, including agriculture, follow any number of restrictions for health and safety reasons. For example, farmers can no longer use DDT on their crops. Arguing that agricultural enterprises should be exempt from this type of safety measure is like arguing that a garage should be free to dump barrels of used oil right on the ground, contaminating their neighbors and our water.
Oregon’s law promoting the right to farm protects our local farmers’ rights to use “reasonable and prudent” agricultural practices. Measure 17-58 is consistent with that law. Genetically engineered agriculture is neither reasonable nor prudent because the crops will cross contaminate non-genetically engineered crops, thereby harming and violating the rights of our local farmers and gardeners.
Measure 17-58 is not specific to organic farmers. This is NOT a conventional farmer versus organic farmer issue, but an issue of the risk of genetic contamination for ALL of our farmers, conventional and organic alike, in our beautiful valleys.
The “Good Neighbor Farmers” ARE NOT our neighbors and, in fact, represent interests as wide-ranging and remote as Swiss multi-national corporations and the Midwest Beet Growers Association. Honestly, why would we let beet growers from the Midwest or corporations from Switzerland (where GMOs are banned) control agricultural practices in Josephine County, Oregon?
Didn’t the Oregon Legislature Pass a Law Preempting County Measures Such as 17-58?
Lie: Measure 17-58 is illegal, preempted by state law, and voting on it would be a futile exercise and prompt a lawsuit that the county can't afford.Truth: Six months ago, as part of his “grand bargain” public retirement and tax package, Gov. John Kitzhaber demanded passage of a last-minute bill (SB 863) prohibiting Oregon counties and cities from regulating genetically modified crops and seeds. If lawmakers didn’t pass the bill, Gov. Kitzhaber said, he would veto the whole package.
Governor Kitzhaber promised to convene a GMO task force that would recommend legislation for the 2015 session and would oversee a Department of Agriculture plan, to be completed by June, for mapping where and when GMO crops are grown and providing buffers and exclusion zones. So far, the task force has yet to be named, and the Department of Agriculture has not started work on the plan. Gov. Kitzhaber’s office has said the task force won’t recommend legislation after all.
Our state government sold us out, lied to us, and has now abandoned us.
It is now up to us to fight for not only our rights, but for the rights of all Oregonians.
Placing this measure on the ballot and allowing the citizens of Josephine County to vote on it are absolutely lawful.
Local rights of self-governance for protection of health, safety and well-being are preserved by many state constitutions. We believe local governments should be free to be MORE protective of their citizens and unique communities than state laws can provide. Therefore, we firmly believe that not only is Measure 17-58 legal, it is absolutely necessary to guarantee the local right of self-governance in Josephine County. Pre-emption bills such as SB863 undermine local control, and are a threat to meaningful citizen participation around issues of widespread community economic, health and safety concerns. Communities enact local measures as an expression of their fundamental right to shape their future. In Josephine County, we not only honor the tradition of local control, we insist upon it.
Voting YES on 17-58 will send a strong message to Salem about the will of our citizens, and will help us in our work to overturn or amend this unjust state preemption law after the election.
Who in our community supports this measure?
Lie: Measure 17-58 is backed by only a “very small minority of farmers” and “activists.”Truth: Measure 17-58 was drafted by an all-volunteer group (NOT PAID) consisting of a spectrum of the community – some liberal, some conservative and evangelical, mothers, grandmothers, fathers, farmers, business owners and concerned community members. To date, this measure is supported by over 50 local farms and over 150 local businesses and organizations - and counting! They know that this measure will contribute to a robust local economy for Josephine County. Ensuring the health of our soils and integrity of our crops will lead to greater profits for all.
Are genetically engineered crops safe for humans and animals to eat?
Lie: Genetically engineered foods pose no health safety risks.
Truth: Genetically engineered foods have never been proven safe. The FDA requires no pre-market health safety studies, and the only long term peer-reviewed animal study conducted involving GMO corn sprayed with Monsanto’s Round Up herbicide, found massive tumors, organ failure and premature death in rats. In addition, a growing body of peer-reviewed animal studies have linked these foods to allergies, organ toxicity, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disorders, birth defects, high infant mortality rates, fertility problems, and sterility. Clearly, more independent, long term studies are warranted. Crops engineered to withstand heavy applications of toxic herbicides contain chemical residues that research shows are even more harmful to children that adults.
The United Nations/World Health Organization food standards group and the American Medical Association have called for mandatory pre-market safety testing of genetically engineered foods, a standard the U.S. fails to meet. A National Academy of Sciences report states that products of genetic engineering technology “carry the potential for introducing unintended compositional changes that may have adverse effects on human health.”
What are the environmental impacts of genetically engineered crops?
Lie: Genetically engineered crops pose no environmental impacts.Truth: Genetically engineered plants contaminate not only crops, but also wild plants. Experimental bentgrass escaped its test plot and has now invaded natural fields several states away. The implications of this type of uncontrolled alteration of the genome are unknown, but statistically, it is likely to cause severe damage to ecosystems over time.
Genetically engineered agriculture is restricted or banned in over 60 countries worldwide. Corporations that cannot grow genetically engineered crops in their own countries are using Josephine County as a dumping ground for toxic pesticides. The agricultural practices required for genetically engineered crop production demand high levels of toxic pesticides. Genetically engineered seeds are coated with neonicotinoids. This insecticide is responsible for exterminating bee populations and its use is restricted or banned in other Oregon counties. Genetically engineered agriculture kills the soil, destroys pollinators and their habitat, and pollutes water supplies. Measure 17-58 protects the future of farming in the Rogue Valley and ensures the health of our environment for our residents and future generations.
Besides polluting the environment with herbicides and pesticides, genetically engineered crops are leading to biodiversity loss and the emergence of “super bugs” and “super weeds" that are threatening millions of acres of farmland, requiring the need for even more dangerous and toxic herbicides.
Genetically engineered crops, and the toxic pesticides they are designed to withstand, are endangering numerous critical species, including the honey bee, frogs, birds, fish and the Monarch Butterfly.
And don’t forget our air and water. The island of Molokai in Hawaii has had its air and water quality destroyed by Monsanto’s almost-2000-acre test facility. The same is true worldwide, with many areas around GMO farms reporting horrific bloody skin rashes, an uptick in asthma and toxic pesticides that leach into the groundwater.
Do genetically engineered crops have higher yields?
Lie: We need GMOs to feed the world. We need to embrace this modern technology because it is superior to conventional methods.
Truth: Studies have proven that genetically engineered crops do not lead to greater crop yields. In fact, just the opposite is true. A 2009 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists found genetically engineered crops fail to produce higher yields. And a recently released, peer-reviewed study published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability found that conventional plant breeding, not genetic engineering, is responsible for yield increases in major U.S. crops. Even a recent report by the US Department of Agriculture states that genetically engineered crops have not increased yields. In fact, in some cases yields for these crops were lower than for their non-genetically engineered counterparts. The United Nations states emphatically that only small, local, non-genetically engineered farms can feed the world.
Will genetically engineered crops add to or reduce the amount of
pesticides and herbicides polluting our soil and water?
Truth: Genetically engineered crops have dramatically increased the use of herbicides and pesticides. According to a new study by Food and Water Watch, the “total volume of glyphosate applied to the three biggest genetically engineered crops — corn, cotton and soybeans — increased 10-fold from 15 million pounds in 1996 to 159 million pounds in 2012” with the overall pesticide use rising by 26 percent from 2001 to 2010.
The report follows another such study by Washington State University research professor Charles Benbrook last year that found that overall pesticide use increased by 404 million pounds, or about 7%, from 1996 and 2011. The use of genetically engineered crops is now driving up the volume of toxic herbicides needed each year by about 25 percent.
Links to resources, studies and articles for more information:
http://oregoniansforsafefarmsandfamilies.org/
http://www.gmofreejosephinecounty.org/
http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/monsanto_syngenta_other_pestic.html
http://m.kdrv.com/kdrv/pm_118157/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=b2rDdBhi
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/proart/20140331/news/303310022/gmo-task-force-scheduled-meet-april?pagerestricted=1
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_28148.cfm (has links to safety and environmental studies)