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In This Issue...
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County Bans Genetically Engineered Crops
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County Bans Genetically Engineered Crops
Supervisors Say Moratorium to Last
Until State Starts Regulating Industry
By Judith Wellner
In August 2005, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors appointed a subcommittee to assess the status of genetically engineered (GE) crops in Santa Cruz County and advise the Board on what steps should be taken.
After almost a year of research, on June 20 the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to place a precautionary moratorium on GE crops.
The ban can only be lifted once certain requirements are met, such as finding better ways to prevent organic and non-GE crops from being contaminated with GE, doing extensive health testing, and setting up stricter rules for labeling products.
The subcommittee’s report had a profound impact on the Board.
“It was horrifying, actually,” said First District Supervisor Jan Beautz. “If you let the genie out of the bottle, you can’t let it back in.”
Beautz firmly believes that issues such as GE crops demand government regulation.
“We can’t count on big corporations and what’s good for them. In the long run, we need to do what’s best for our county,” she said. “Food is such a basic resource.”
Katherine Sweet, a master gardener and one of the members of the research subcommittee, emphasized that the nagging problem with GE foods is that we don’t have substantial data to evaluate potential long-term effects.
Little Regulation of GE Crops
The growing and marketing of GE crops has seen very little regulation, not just on a county but also on a state level. There has been an ordinance in place since the late 1980s that would require farmers to report the cultivation of any genetically modified crops. But, as Sweet pointed out, this regulation was put into place before GE crops became an important issue.
The County has received no reports about GE crops from anyone in the region. The major crops, such as soybeans, corn and wheat, which are most prone to GE contamination are not grown in the County.
Sweet, however, pointed out that without extensive testing, we cannot say for sure there are no GE crops at all in the area.
Jess Brown, Executive Director for the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, argued that while it would be important to regulate the growth of GE crops, the Board of Supervisor’s decision was somewhat premature.
“It would be better to work with the state; come up with something that is uniform,” he said. “Too many people grow too many things in different counties,” he continued. “If in the surrounding areas they grow it, we really haven’t resolved the problems. It’s all within a few miles from one another.”
Supervisors Didn’t Want to Wait
The Board on the other hand is convinced that it is essential to take steps as soon as possible to prevent potential GE contamination.
“Once it happens, it’s too late. The decision needs to be preemptive,” said Beautz.
Even though the subcommittee recommended a moratorium, a minority of the subcommittee did not think a ban was necessary.
However, even those who opposed the ban believe that labeling issues, as well as determining what should happen if someone’s crop gets contaminated with GE, should be resolved.
“I do think that certain conditions need to be met. Prevention of contamination is important,” said Tom Rider, a grower and fruit processor who served on the research subcommittee. “But I think this is something that shouldn’t be prevented but needs to be regulated.”
The moratorium will go into effect 30 days after the Board's meeting in August.
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