News — gmo-genetic-engineering

Boulder County Commissioners public hearing on phasing out GMO crops and pesticides on county lands at 3 -5 pm on Wednesday, 11-30-16.

3:00 p.m. To 5 pm PARKS AND OPEN SPACE DEPARTMENT Public Hearing: Commissioners will consider the Draft Transition Plan for Phasing Out GE Crops on Boulder County Open Space Property

PUBLIC COMMENT An online sign-up process for Individual Speakers and Pool Time speakers is available at BoulderCountyOpenSpace.org/croplandpolicy

You can also sign up at the event to speak. You could pool your time with Rich Andrews to allow him to speak longer.

Meetings are held in the Third Floor Hearing Room, Boulder County Courthouse, 1325 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

Here are some point to make: Support the commissioners plan to phase out GMOs. We need to convert county open space land to growing sustainable organic food and feed. To avoid glyphosphate which causes cancer, and which is used with GMO sugar beets. To avoid pesticides built into the plant such as BT in corn. Also to avoid neonicotinoids which harm bees, butterflies, ladybugs, and other beneficial insects. To avoid using dangerous pesticides. To do it sooner, not to wait many years. Only about 100 acres of GMO sugar beets were planted last year on open space land, so it is not a big deal to phase it out. To ignore the steady drumbeat of letters asking for delays. Monsanto and other GMO companies are just trying to delay and cause doubt, just like the tobacco companies and fracking companies do. They hope to replace Commissioners Jones and Gardner before the phase out happens. They try to change the story away from how GMOs and pesticides give cancer, kill bees and butterflies, and harm local, organic farms.

Details about the hearings

Monsanto is lobbying senators to pass the Monsanto Dream bill - the Dark Act ( S. 2609), which will ban states from requiring GMO labeling. Otherwise Vermont's law requiring labels on genetically engineered food goes into effect. The vote is scheduled on July 6. 90 % of voters want genetically engineered food to be labeled as such. Many European countries require GMO labels on foods. Link to send an email to your senator through Food and Water Watch: here. Monsanto hires lobbyists, donates to politicians, and has its employees and contractors appointed to high positions in government to prevent regulation and research on its genetically altered food crops.

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