Fwd: YES! Mendocino County bans biotech crops!!

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" News Update from The Campaign "

YES! Mendocino County bans biotech crops!!

Wed, 3 Mar 2004 05:18:01 -0600

 

News Update From The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

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Dear News Update Subscribers,

 

Great news to report! Voters in Mendocino County, California, passed

Measure H by a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent!

 

Posted below are two articles. The first is from the Associated Press titled

" Mendocino County votes to ban biotech crops. " The second article from the

Santa Rosa Press Democrat is titled " Mendocino County voters ban biotech

crops. "

 

Congratulations to all the activists and consumers in Mendocino County for

resisting the expensive propaganda campaign put forth by the biotech

industry. This is one election that they could not buy!

 

Craig Winters

Executive Director

The Campaign to Label Genetically Engineered Foods

 

The Campaign

PO Box 55699

Seattle, WA 98155

Tel: 425-771-4049

Fax: 603-825-5841

E-mail: label

Web Site: http://www.thecampaign.org

 

Mission Statement: " To create a national grassroots consumer campaign for

the purpose of lobbying Congress and the President to pass legislation that

will require the labeling of genetically engineered foods in the United

States. "

 

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Mendocino County votes to ban biotech crops

 

PAUL ELIAS

Associated Press

Wed, Mar. 03, 2004

 

UKIAH, Calif. AP) - Mendocino County voters approved the nation's first ban

Tuesday on the raising and keeping of genetically engineered crops or

animals.

 

The move represented a big black eye for the biotechnology industry, which

spent more than $500,000 to defeat the measure in a county of 47,000

registered voters.

 

" They had the money, we had the people, " said Els Cooperrider, who led the

local ballot measure.

 

With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Measure H had support from 56

percent of voters in the area known for its wineries.

 

Opponents of the measure could not be immediately reached for comment. Their

campaign headquarters in Ukiah was vacant with a " for lease " sign on it.

 

Led by organic vintners and farmers, backers of the ban raised and spent

close to $100,000.

 

The ban will have little direct effect inside Mendocino County, since there

are no known genetically modified crops raised in the area.

 

But Mendocino County's organic growers said they would use the law as a

marketing tool, especially in Europe, where opposition to genetically

engineered foods is fierce.

 

The victory is also expected to embolden similar movements in neighboring

Northern California counties as well as elsewhere in the county.

 

The biotechnology industry may file a lawsuit trying to overturn the new

law. The industry argued that biotechnology regulation should be left to the

federal government, otherwise biotech companies will have to wade through a

hodgepodge of local laws.

 

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Mendocino County voters ban biotech crops

First county in U.S. to bar gene-altered farming

 

Santa Rosa Press Democrat

By MIKE GENIELLA

 

March 3, 2004

 

Mendocino County voters on Tuesday were the first in the nation to ban

genetically engineered crops and animals.

 

By a margin of 56 percent to 44 percent, they approved Measure H, an

initiative pushed by the county's organic farmers and one that has far

greater symbolic impact than practical effect because such crops are not

likely to be introduced in the county for years.

 

Some of the nation's largest agricultural interests spent more than a

half-million dollars in a bid to defeat the measure, fearing that it could

become a precedent for other counties.

 

And that is likely to happen.

 

" Passage of Measure H is just the beginning. We're the first county, but the

revolution is just starting, " said Els Cooperrider, owner of a Ukiah organic

brew pub who spearheaded the campaign.

 

Groups in Sonoma and Humboldt counties already are preparing drives to

qualify similar initiatives on the November ballot. Allen Henson of the

Occidental Arts and Ecology Center has said passage of Measure H will give

Sonoma County activists incentive to develop a policy to keep out

genetically engineered crops.

 

Cooperrider and Measure H supporters were jubilant Tuesday night, especially

after having been outspent by a 7-1 margin in the most hotly contested

initiative election in Mendocino County history.

 

All but two Fort Bragg precincts and about 3,000 absentee ballots,

representing less than 2 percent of the vote, had been counted by 10 p.m.

Tuesday.

 

The election drew statewide, national and even international attention, with

reporters for major news media outlets on hand to witness the noisy Measure

H victory celebration at the Cooperrider pub.

 

A consortium of agri-business interests called CropLife America waged a

two-month campaign to defeat the measure. CropLife was joined by local and

state Farm Bureau leaders and members of the county's agricultural

establishment.

 

But their high-profile efforts weren't enough.

 

A coalition of organic grape growers, businesses and local political figures

convinced voters that Mendocino should take a stand in the global debate

over the adequacy of safeguards surrounding a fast-emerging biotechnology

industry. A current void in state law allowed the issue to be placed before

Mendocino voters.

 

" This is an issue that needs to be dealt with at the state, national or

global level, but you have to start somewhere and that somewhere is

Mendocino County, " said Measure H supporter Art Harwood of Harwood Products.

 

Elizabeth Brazil, coordinator of the campaign to defeat Measure H, said

Tuesday night that opponents were disappointed by the results.

 

" Mendocino County is going to be harmed by this measure, " Brazil said.

 

Brazil declined to speculate whether local opponents and CropLife are

prepared to mount legal and legislative challenges to Measure H. Mendocino

County voters in the 1970s adopted an initiative to ban aerial spraying of

pesticides, but the state Legislature within two weeks stripped counties of

that right.

 

Spokeswoman Laura Hamburg said supporters are prepared for any challenge.

" We have had this ordinance reviewed by top lawyers, who say they're

confident it will stand up to any challenge. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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