Articles

In three weeks, propagating, raising or growing any kind of genetically-modified crop will be considered criminal activity in Josephine County, Oregon. That’s because a year ago on May 20, 2014, the county made American history when it passed an ordinance banning genetically-modified organisms, giving people until September 4, 2015 to remove, harvest or burn crops containing them. Made up of approximately 83,000 citizens, Josephine Country passed the “Genetically-Engineered Plant Ordinance” as part of its efforts to eliminate GMOs in the region. The community is currently planning its GMO-FREE ZONE Celebration on September 4 during which people will post signs throughout the region boasting its newly-acquired GMO-free status to visitors and residents alike.

Despite spending $800,000 in its efforts to overturn the legislation, Syngenta has been forced to remove its genetically-modified sugar beet crops in the area and move its offices out of the region. Its warehouse has been abandoned. While Syngenta claims to improve food security in an environmentally-sustainable way with its genetically-modified seed, the company faces mounting lawsuits from farmers over their inability to ship corn produced using Syngenta’s genetically-modified corn seed internationally. According to the news source, there have been over 1300 lawsuits filed by farmers in Minnesota alone. Syngenta is one of the world’s largest genetically-modified seeds manufacturers as well as the world’s largest crop chemical producer.