Jackson bans GMOs, bans farmers' rights..........................

As a former organic farmer and USDA-contract organic inspector, let me just say that last weeks’s vote in Jackson County Oregon to ban GMOs is a HUGE setback for the organic community in America.

We were never in the business of denying our neighbors the right to use advanced forms of technology. We only stipulated that WE would not use them, and then let consumers decide if they agreed with us.

For years we argued that the farming community should respect OUR right to be organic. With last night’s vote in Jackson County – making it the third jurisdiction in America to ban a perfectly-safe form of agricultural science – we have yet again denied our neighbors their rights. And that goes against everything it has ever meant to be organic. Lord Walter Northbourne, Sir Albert Howard and Lady Eve Balfour are all rolling over in their graves.

You can hear my reaction to the vote, along with that of Barry Bushue, President of the Oregon Farm Bureau, here:
http://www.agweb.com/article/power_hour_gm_crop_bans_in_oregon_yield_strong_reactions_NAA_Nate_Birt/
You can read about my reaction to the vote here:
http://dailycaller.com/2014/05/23/jackson-county-oregon-bans-gmos-in-another-victory-for-the-anti-science-left/
This is America. If we don’t live by the free market, we shouldn’t be surprised if the free market suddenly turns on us.

Mischa Popoff, B.A. (Hons.) U. of S.
Former USDA contract organic inspector
Author of Is it Organic? The inside story of the organic industry
      Some people won't like this book, but you will
Policy Advisor for The Heartland Institute
Greenville TX USA