Photo courtesy GMO Free Jackson County Facebook Page.

Around the country, organic farmers are pushing for ‘GE-free’ zones

By Chelsea Harvey
The Washington Post

Excerpts:

Jackson County, Oregon, has just joined the small but growing ranks of “GE-free zones” in the U.S., which prohibit the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) crops. It’s at least the eighth county in the country to create such an ordinance, and efforts are springing up to pass similar measures in other places.

The Jackson County designation was made final on Dec. 22, when a federal judge approved a consent decree protecting the zone. The ordinance was originally passed in May 2014 by the voters of Jackson County, but was challenged in court by two GE alfalfa farmers, who argued that it violated Oregon state law. The challenge was rejected by a federal judge in May, and a court-approved settlement — which upholds the GE-free zone, but allows the alfalfa farmers to keep their crop for the remainder of its useful life — was finally approved in December.

Read the Full Story at the Washington Post

See Also:

Oregon Citizens Overwhelming Vote to Enforce Ban on Cultivation of GMO Crops

All Eyes on Jackson County Oregon as GMO Ban Survives Legal Challenge and Takes Effect