The biggest farming group in the US has backed moves to promote coexistence between organic and biotech farmers.
With a landmark legal argument over property rights hanging in the balance between an organic farmer and genetically modified (GM) canola grower in Western Australia, American Farm Bureau Federation president Bob Stallman said earlier this month the Farm Bureau’s members supported the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision on a recommendation contained in a report from the Advisory Committee on Biotechnology and 21st Century Agriculture(AC21), aiming to foster communication and collaboration to strengthen coexistence among farmers.
Stallman dismissed suggestions of widespread legal disputes between the two farming groups as “merely the product of an activist agenda.” He said for decades, a hallmark of US agriculture has been the ability of farmers to pursue innovation, utilise diverse cropping systems and respond to consumer demand for high-value, identity-preserved and speciality crops.
“Any purported ‘war’ in agriculture does not reflect facts and is merely the product of an activist agenda that does not reflect the best interest of farmers or American agriculture.”
Read the full, original article: GM, organics can coexist: Farm Bureau
