Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Yes on Measure M Dawn Pillsbury | |
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If we want to help keep our county GE-free, the time to act is now. Measure M will put a 10-year moratorium on genetically engineered crops in Sonoma County. This will protect our farm and wild lands from genetic contamination. Kevin McEnnis, owner of Santa Rosa's Quetzal Farm and one of the dozens of family farmers in support of Measure M, said he hopes the moratorium will pass. "Genetic engineering is bad science," he said. "The technology is just not there right now to be safe. I don't want my farm to get contaminated by drift." The campaign is facing heavy opposition from the Sonoma County Farm Bureau. The Farm Bureau, which is acting against the interest of the family farmers it claims to represent, has begun a smear campaign and is suing over Yes on M's ballot argument. "The opposition is knowingly misleading the public by saying that people would not be able to use life-saving medicines such as insulin, or use West Nile Virus vaccines for their horses in a GE-Free Sonoma County," said Dave Henson. "The initiative clearly does not prohibit any drugs or vaccines used for humans or animals. Rather, the initiative puts a 10-year moratorium on growing genetically engineered crops which contaminate other farmers' fields, our gardens, and our environment. The Farm Bureau the initiative's main opponent should be held accountable for spreading such lies." The 2000 report "Amber Waves of Gain" revealed the reason behind Farm Bureau opposition to sustainable agriculture: It has deep financial ties to chemical corporations. The Farm Bureau invests much of its $6.5 billion annual revenue in net premiums from insurance policies in corporations such as Philip Morris, DuPont, Union Carbide and Archer Daniels Midland. "They have a very cozy relationship," said grapegrower George Davis of Monsanto and the Farm Bureau. "Monsanto has done an incredible job of selling GE crops, locally as a quick fix to insect-borne disease problems. But any kind of practical solution to our local grape growing problems is at least 10 years out." The Sonoma County Farm Bureau, while it promised to not accept outside contributions for their war chest, has already taken $5,000 from Wilbur-Ellis, a multinational corporation that sells herbicides like Vengeance and Monsanto's genetically engineered seed. Another disturbing trend in GE agriculture is lawsuits. Monsanto has sent letters threatening patent lawsuits to thousands of farmers across the U.S. The farmers are prevented from talking about their cases. Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser knows firsthand the dangers of talking about Monsanto's legal might. He will be here in Sonoma County in October. |
Percy Schmeiser, a 73-year-old farmer with his wife, Louise lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. He has five children and 14 grandchildren. Percy has become world renowned for his resistance to the legal attacks and harassment of Monsanto, which accused him of theft of its intellectual property rights because it found traces of its Roundup Ready canola in his crop. In fact, Monsanto's genetically-altered canola, released into the environment, polluted his fields, ruining a lifetime of work. He'll be the guest of honor at "Bitter Harvest," a libretto with musical excerpts at 8 p.m. Oct 8, Unitarian Church, 547 Mendocino Ave, Santa Rosa. Cost is on a sliding scale from $40 to $15. Mimi still needs help setting up and taking down for the event. Percy will also be at a screening of "The Future of Food," Deborah Koons Garcia's award-winning documentary on GE agriculture at 6:30 p.m. on Oct 14, Center for Spiritual Living (Church of Religious Science), 2075 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa. Sliding scale from $15. For more screenings, check www.gefreesonoma.org. Measure M will protect our farmers from Monsanto lawsuits by ensuring that contaminators pay cleanup costs. According to the initiative, anyone the Agricultural Commissioner catches releasing GE crops will be responsible for the costs of clean up. What You Can Do:
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