A bill in the Oregon Senate, introduced at the request of Gov John Kitzhaber, would allow the state to establish control areas to separate genetically engineered crops from organic and conventional crops if necessary to prevent cross-pollination, says Capital Press. By law, the state Agriculture Department can declare a control area to protect crops from pests, disease and noxious weeds, and lawmakers have given the department authority to use its control-area power to regulate canola planting, says the newspaper. Seed growers in the Willamette Valley worry about canola pollen contaminating their crops.
“SB 207 would amend that statutory language to include control area authority for genetically engineered crops,” said Capital Times. “The proposed bill requires the agency to specify the types of crops that are regulated within the boundaries of control areas or excluded from them.”
An agribusiness group said there was no need for the legislation. An aide to the governor said a basic concept for the bill is to create a voluntary process for growers to resolve conflicts over different approaches to farming. Oregon voters narrowly defeated a statewide GMO labeling referendum last year but voters in Jackson County approved a ban on GMO crops, which is being challenged in court.