Groups in Lake and Monterey counties are beginning to lay the groundwork for bans on genetically modified organisms.
Bans currently are in effect in Mendocino, Marin, Santa Cruz and Trinity counties and in the cities of Arcata and Point Arena.
Chuck March, executive director of Lake County Farm Bureau, said the Farm Bureau is opposed to any localized ordinance against genetically engineered crops, which they believe should be controlled at either the state or federal levels.
March said genetically modified organisms are "a tool and an option" for growers.
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Citing a mandate to try to reduce the use of pesticides, the Board of Pesticides Control approved applications by Dow AgroSciences, Pioneer Hi-Bred International and Monsanto to register seven Bt corn products to be grown for animal feed.
While allowing the corn to be grown in Maine for the first time, the board plans to develop rules for the crops' use to alleviate organic farmers' fears of contamination.
"I'm only Read more
Joe Mendelson, Center for Food Safety, 703-244-1724;
John Bianchi, Goodman Media, 212-576-2700
Center for Food Safety Recognizes that Proposal Ties States' Hands, Weakening Food Safety Protections at a Time When they Need to be Strengthened
Washington May 24, 2007 - Earlier today, the House Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry approved new language slipped into the 2007 Farm Bill that pre-empts any state prohibitions against any foods or agricultural goods that have been deregulated by the USDA. The passage appears to be Read more
Sodruzhestvo, the biggest soya importer in Russia, which supplies 70% of all soya used in the Russian food and feed industry, has stated that it will turn its new factory currently under construction in Kaliningrad into a GE free zone. The new oil-extraction and feed- Read more
Environmentalists said the government's decision will help prevent biotech corn from contaminating native varieties in Mexico, the birthplace of corn and still a storehouse of genetically valuable native species.
But the decision, announced late Monday by Mexico's Agriculture Department, angered some biotech supporters that said it would limit access to plants that could reduce Read more
The Chinese rice, modified to resist certain insects, was found in samples of rice stick noodles in France and Germany, and also in rice vermicelli in Britain, Greenpeace International said, citing the results of two rounds of laboratory tests.
Its report, compiled with Friends of the Earth Europe, did not indicate the possible quantities involved but said the Read more
Local food safety activists have apparently successfully led efforts to defeat a proposed new state law that would prevent other counties from following the lead of Mendocino County on genetically-modified (GM) farm crop regulation.
Mendocino County was specifically exempt from the effects of Senate Bill 1056. The bill was approved last week on a 46-19 vote in the California Assembly and sent back to the Senate, where it was approved previously. While the bill needed only a simple concurrence vote in the Senate, it was apparently blocked there. State Sen. Wes
Read moreSB 1056, introduced by Sen. Dean Florez (D-Shafter), would ensure that the existing federal and state law governing the regulation of seeds and nursery stock is paramount: no local government could pass ballot initiatives or ordinances either going beyond or rejecting those standards.
Ordinances already in place, such as those passed in Marin, Mendocino, Santa Cruz and Trinity Read more
for GE Free Zones