The Oregonian, Oregon’s largest newspaper, has released an editorial opposing Washington’s GMO-labeling bill. The editorial board argues that this bill is irrational and merely a scare tactic used by the anti-GMO community.
The effect of mandatory labeling, and more than likely the intention, would be to stigmatize products of which various groups and businesses don’t approve. Consumers would be encouraged to believe – incorrectly – that labeled products should be viewed with suspicion.
The scare-mongering involved in a labeling fight will inevitably, and unfortunately, affect the political environment in which state officials try to broker a related land-use fight. Organic farmers have legitimate concerns about pollen drifting from genetically engineered crops grown nearby. Rather than seeking ways to coexist, however, activists have ginned up efforts in counties across the state to ban genetically engineered crops entirely.
Read the full, original story here: “Looming GMO-label fight calls for leadership: Editorial”
