Close to Home: Why Sonoma County voters should oppose Measure M on GMOs

Farmers and ranchers were heavily involved and?invested in the first attempt by advocates to ban?genetically modified organisms in Sonoma County?11 years ago. This first attempt would have stopped nearly all use of products in the county that were modified through genetic engineering. Hundreds of thousands of dollars?were expended on both sides of the issue. The vote on Measure M at that time failed by a significant margin of 17,000 votes. With 164,000 ballots cast, the measure lost 55 percent to 44 percent.

Two years ago, a small group of proponents approached Sonoma County supervisors about supporting another ban. They were instructed to work through a process seeking consensus with those most affected and forge a broad coalition hearing the desires of the entire agricultural community and all involved stakeholders before moving forward. The leader of the group met one time with Farm Bureau leaders. The group has now advanced a poorly drafted ballot Measure M that directs a blanket countywide ban strictly on the growing and propagating of genetically engineered crops and produce.

County supervisors responded responsibly when presented with the proposal by requiring a report about the impacts to the county. The report was prepared by the UC Cooperative Extension Service in consultation with the Sonoma County agriculture commissioner and is accessible online from the Board of Supervisors meeting agenda of May 24. There are numerous cautions in this report that can help you identify and understand why this Measure M should also not be approved.

Inconsistencies with definitions in the ordinance are key concerns as it would be very difficult for a grower to know whether they have purchased prohibited seeds and thus are possibly violating the ban. And perhaps as concerning is the scope of the wording to cover future developments. Some emerging genetic engineering technologies have the potential to create novel plant varieties that are hard to distinguish genetically from plants produced through conventional breeding or processes that occur in nature.

Arbitrary restrictions on the use of genetic engineering will result in long-term limitations to innovation and prevent potentially useful genetically engineered products from being used by Sonoma County family farmers in improving farming techniques as they work to be more environmentally friendly over time.

Since that decision 11 years ago, there has been no proliferation of adopting the use of biotechnology in agriculture within Sonoma County, largely due to the expansion of organic production by farmers and ranchers in response to market conditions. These decisions were not based upon a rejection of biotechnology and its accompanying benefits and potential for future solutions to problems but rather on economics. As with all technology areas, genetic engineering in agriculture is constantly being refined and improved.

In short, the decision being placed before voters through this version of Measure M could ban a problem that simply does not exist in favor of adding to an environment of confusion for both farmers and consumers at a cost that is not justifiable.

At the end of the day our farmers and ranchers only want the ability to grow healthy food, earn a good living for their efforts and leave their land in better shape for the generations that follow to continue the work. This can be accomplished by long-used conventional practices, more prescribed organic methods or even the latest marketing fad of GMO-free products. Consumers will express what they want and our farmers and ranchers will respond. This is the way our free market economy should perform.

What this does require is family farmers having the ability to choose and use all viable available tools to deliver safe, nutritious food as the market changes over time. We should support all methods of responsible, sustainable farming practices and recognize that it is entirely feasible for all methods to co-exist.

Kim Vail is executive director of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau.