Voters in Sonoma County, Calif., will decide this November whether or not to ban the planting of GMO crops and seeds in unincorporated areas of the county.
According to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, supervisors said the proposed ordinance is significantly flawed and argue the measure is based on fear, not science.
Shirlee Zane a member of the board of supervisors says she’s against fear-based ballot box measures and said the proposed ordinance is so broad it could easily prevent the county’s agriculture and other industries from utilizing future technologies.
The measure would not prevent the sale or purchase of genetically engineered food or seeds but it would “prohibit the propagation, cultivation, raising or growing of genetically engineered organisms in the unincorporated county."
Proponents of the ban collected more signatures than needed to qualify for the November election.
The board could have adopted the ordinance outright during its meeting, but said the county could not support the proposal because of its concerns about the long-term impacts the measure could have on the county’s agricultural sector.
This is the second time in 11 years the measure will go before voters.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com