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MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT Mandatory Labeling Requirements for Seeds that
Contain Genetically Engineered Organisms The
Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc. (NOFA-NY, Inc.)
strongly supports A.8344A/S6625A, sponsored by Assemblyman Peter Rivera and
Senator James Seward. This bill will
require all genetically engineered (GE) seeds sold in New York State to be
labeled as such. This labeling will
protect both organic and conventional growers from unknowingly purchasing genetically
engineered seeds, which could contaminate their organic or GE-free
conventional crops and thus threaten their ability to compete in GE-free
markets. The bill is necessary because
federal or state law does not require GE labeling. NOFA-NY
represents over 320 certified organic farms, 423 sustainable organic farms
and 44 certified organic businesses in NYS.
Our current members and the hundreds of dairy farmers considering
organic dairy transition would directly benefit from mandatory seed labeling
legislation. The many consumers now
purchasing organic foods from organic farmers would also benefit from the
ability for farmers to better protect themselves from GE organisms, enabled
by the seed labeling legislation, because they could be more assured of
purchasing an uncontaminated organic product.
Labeled seed also allows organic and GE-free crop farmers to work with
their neighbors because it is only possible for organic farmers to protect
their organic crops by knowing what is planted next door to their fields. Genetically
engineered seeds threaten the existence and growth of organic farming in New
York State (NYS). There is a large
market for GE-free foods for both human and animal consumption, since many
informed consumers prefer to buy foods that are not genetically
engineered. Purchasing organic foods
is one way consumers ensure they do not buy genetically engineered
ingredients. Consequently, the organic
industry has grown 17 to 20% every year for a decade, while the conventional
grocery market has grown at only 2 to 3%.
Seed
labeling requirements should not be an added burden to seed
manufacturers. In fact, many
manufacturers of GE seeds already include much of the proposed labeling
requirements under A.8344/S.6625.
Therefore, it should take little effort on their part to comply with
the proposed NYS legislation. The bill
is needed because labels identifying seed as genetically engineered are not
mandatory and companies can, at their discretion, limit the extent to which
this aspect of the seed is readily observable to potential buyers. Seed
labeling is especially important now as the organic dairy industry is
exploding across the country. In NYS
alone, Dairy Marketing Services, HP Hood, Organic Valley, Horizon Organic and
Upstate Farms are canvassing conventional dairy farmers to convert to organic
dairy production. Grain companies are
urging NYS farmers to increase their organic grain production to meet the
local feed demand and counteract the additional transportation charges associated
with Midwest organic feeds.
Co-existence of the growing organic farming community with
conventional agriculture is contingent on all farmers knowing the properties
and treatments of their seeds and this, we believe, requires mandatory
labeling requirements. In addition to
the 117 organic dairy farms and 18 in transition certified by NOFA-NY
Certified Organic LLC, another 140 NYS dairy farmers have applied to
transition to organic production through us.
This does not include the farms certified by other out-of-state
certification companies (which could be an additional 100 farms) and is a
clear indication of the future trend for NYS farmers. Genetic
engineering remains a controversial technology, despite constant efforts of
GE seed company efforts to stifle, contradict, and spin peer-reviewed journal
articles about research that sheds light on the impacts of this
technology. The efficacy of existing
regulatory requirements by three federal agencies (USDA, FDA, and EPA) is
also controversial regarding what it does and does not provide in the way of
information and testing. NOFA-NY has
had the opportunity to work with vegetable and crop breeders across the
country in the last five years and a summary of their wisdom is fascinating.
1) Genetic engineering inserts DNA that could never otherwise be introduced
into plants and is, thus, a new technology. 2) Selection, or choosing
individual plants with desirable characteristics from among those where
natural genetic variability is observable, is the method used through the
ages to modify crops and is not genetic engineering. 3) Professional breeders can use common
breeding techniques, like selection, to breed naturally occurring, desirable
traits, such as disease resistance, into crops more quickly, more precisely
and more cheaply than genetic engineering because of the technological
innovation of genetic mapping, which is the real breakthrough of the 80’s and
90’s. The
food safety and environmental concerns related to genetically engineered
crops are straightforward. When
scientists look at the genetic makeup of plant and animal life, they see that
all genes are made of similar proteins. Genetic engineering creates new
proteins that have never before existed. which are
replicated in every cell of the plant.
In addition, genetically engineered plants continue to evolve,
creating new, novel proteins that may not have been tested or seen during the
initial creation. The health impacts
of these novel proteins are largely unknown because health studies are not
required in advance of product release.
Genetically engineered crops can cross with & contaminate
conventional crops, depending on planting schedules, proximity of crops and
other factors. NYS
growers have expressed a need for a NYS law that ensures that the seeds they
buy are clearly labeled for GE content.
This is of special concern, now that some genetically engineered
vegetable varieties are being sold as seed in NYS, but are not labeled as GE. Gardener-sized seed packets and
farmer-scale batches of vegetable seeds are dramatically smaller than 50 lb.
bags of corn or soybeans, but the risks of GE contamination still exist. This mandatory seed labeling bill would
ensure that this key component of genetic information is made available on
the label of seeds sold in NYS and will benefit all growers. Northeast
Organic Farming Association of New York, Inc., PO Box 880, Cobleskill, NY,
12043. May 2006. Exec.
Director: Sarah Johnston Voice: (518) 922-7937 Fax: (518) 922-764 www.nofany.org |