Boulder County will phase out the cultivation of genetically modified corn and sugarbeets and the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on county-owned farmland.
The county commissioners voted 2-1 on a plan that would ban GMO corn by the end of 2019 and sugarbeets by the end of 2021, and neonicotinoids, believed to be toxic to bees, within five years.
The plan includes a requirement that the county staff work with each of Boulder County’s tenant farmers to determine the financial risk of the transition to each farmer, and to help find ways to minimize potential negative impacts.
It leaves open the possibility that in the future, Boulder County will consider allowing genetically engineered crops with traits that do not rely on the use of pesticides.
It also notes the county’s intent to fund a sustainable-agriculture research facility. Experiments there could include comparisons of a variety of production methods, including technologies associated with the growing of GMO crops.
Commissioners Elise Jones and Deb Gardner voted for the latest version of the transition plan as well as the related amendment to Boulder County’s Cropland Policy that applies to all agriculture on county-owned land. Commissioner Cindy Domenico dissented.
“Let’s acknowledge: This is not an easy issue; it’s not a simple one,” said Jones, adding that she is not concerned about genetically engineered crops per se but the effects of the pesticides used on some GE crops.
Source: www.denverpost.com