Posted February 14, 2014
Organic farmers are discussing how to deal with contamination from genetically modified (GMO) crops and “tolerance levels” for contamination, according to a Capital Press article available here.
“The question is what threshold are we going to accept for genetic contamination?” said Holli Cederholm, general manager of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGTA).
OSGTA members have adopted a “zero tolerance policy,” meaning that any detectable level of GMO contamination is unacceptable.
The issue of GMO contamination is also being discussed by the National Organic Standards Board, an advisory committee to USDA.
In 2012, a biotech advisory committee “urged the USDA to consider launching a crop insurance pilot program to compensate farmers harmed by cross-pollination from GMOs.” Some believe, however, that the liability should fall on the companies that own patents for the genetically modified crops.
For more information on organic production and biotechnology issues, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website hereand here.
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