08 Nov (NATURAL NEWS) – Efforts by the biotechnology industry to begin planting genetically-modified (GM) canola, also known as rapeseed, in Oregon’s prized Willamette Valley have been thwarted, at least temporarily, thanks to persistent opposition from farmers and farmer advocacy groups. The Oregonian reports that the Oregon Court of Appeals has temporarily halted a ruling by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) that would have allowed plantings of the controversial crop at the borders of the highly-protected Willamette Valley as soon as this fall.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a pristine agricultural treasure in the northwestern region of the state where all sorts of organic produce is grown, much of it for the specific purpose of producing clean seeds for farmers all around the world. Because of its perfect growing climate and untainted environment, the 3.7 million acre protected zone is where the majority of the world’s Brassica seed crops are grown, and is considered by many to be a “globally unique agricultural resource.”
GM CANOLA WILL DESTROY CROPS, LAND IN OREGON’S WILLAMETTE VALLEY
Allowing GM crops to be grown anywhere near this valley; however, which has been ODA’s intention for quite some time, will compromise the integrity not only of the crops already being grown there, but also of the land itself, which would more than likely begin sprouting up wild GM canola plants and corresponding “superweeds,” a scenario already widely occurring throughout much of North Dakota. Because of this, defenders of the Willamette Valley have been actively working to guard this unspoiled region from being intruded upon by pernicious GMOs.
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Tags: Brassica, Center for Food Safety, CFS, FFF, Friends of Family Farmers, Oregon Department of Agriculture