Big Government Making Our Decisions GMO'S In Jackson County

Big Government Making Our Decisions GMO'S In Jackson County:
SB 633/863, signed last October,  prevents local governments in Oregon from enacting or enforcing any measures which regulate agricultural, flower, nursery and vegetable seeds or their products. Essentially, it  prevents counties from  banning GMO crops. This is another great example of government protection of multi-billion dollar corporations at the expense of small-scale farmers and individuals. Jackson County is the only county in Oregon exempt from this legislation and  you should vote YES on 15-119.

SB 633/863  was a poorly written bill that stripped local control of decisions on seeds and agriculture production. SB 633, (a seed pre-emption bill) was tucked into SB 863, legislation pertaining to public pension cuts and new state tax increases in Oregon state and funding for teachers. It has been rumored that Gov. John Kitzhaber demanded passage of a last-minute bill as in SB 633 or he would veto the whole package (shame shame). This act undermines the future economic survival of all family farmers, not just farmers in Oregon. It also erodes the rights of our local elected officials and their ability to make appropriate decisions on how our local food and agriculture should be regulated.

The food and biotech industry has spent more than $70 million to fight ballot initiatives in California and Washington state over the past two years and now they have pumped more than $800,000 into stopping 15-119 in Jackson County. The biggest contributors are pesticide and biotech firm Monsanto Company donated $183,294, GMO seed producer DuPont Pioneer $129,647, biotech firm Sygenta Crop Protection $75,000, and $22,353 each from biotech firms Bayer CropScience, BASF Plant Science and Dow AgroSciences. These huge companies have no interest in maintaining our quality of life here, or in protecting family farmers. Their sole interest is earning more money ($$$ billions $$$) that they will take to their headquarters and share with their shareholders. Monsanto and the other biotech firms have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy out our politicians or at least sway decisions.
Oregon is the United States fifth highest organic producer, and is home to some of the country’s main organic seed companies.
This is our chance to limit "Big Government and Billion dollar corporations" from taking charge in local matters. These decisions should be local and up to the people to decide. 15-119 will not take money from libraries, police, or cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to enforce. These are lies purchased by the vary companies who have put almost a million dollars into defeating this local measure. A third of American Organic farmers have experienced problems in their fields due to the nearby use of genetically modified crops, and over half of those growers have had grain rejected because of  GMO contamination. More than 80% of American farmers reported being concerned over the impact of genetically modified (GMO) crops on their farms, and 60% say they’re “very concerned” in a study released in March.
Stand up for our right to make our own decisions. Vote YES on 15-119