Over the next few years, farmers who rent land from Boulder County, Colo., will have to phase out genetically modified corn and sugarbeet crops, said the Boulder Daily Camera. County commissioners voted 2-1 for the ban, and said research into the benefits and drawbacks of GMOs and conventionally bred seeds can proceed concurrently with the phase-out.
Commissioners Elise Jones and Deb Gardner said it was important to set a time frame. Otherwise, there might be no action, they said. Commissioner Cindy Domenico, who voted against the phase-out, said the research into alternatives to the GMO crops “has to be done before the transition clock starts,” said the Daily Camera.
The plan approved by commissioners says use of GMO corn will be phased out by the end of 2019, three years from now. GMO sugarbeets can be grown until the end of 2021. Commissioners voted for the ban after a two-hour public hearing.