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7 Things to Tell Your Friends about GMOs

1. Coexistence between GMO and organic/non-GMO farms in Josephine County is not feasible.
The Rogue, Applegate, and Illinois valleys are narrow and windy. Therefore, the buffer zones needed for keeping them apart and maintaining crop integrity are not available in Josephine Countys growing areas. The costs of coexistence are all borne by non-GMO farmers, not GMO growers

2. A GMO crop ban in Josephine County would create more profitable family farms and strengthen the local economy.
That is why, to date, over 50 local farms and over 100 local businesses and organizations here have signed support statements favoring a GMO crop ban. They know that this will contribute to a robust local economy for Josephine County.

3. GMO crops do NOT have higher yields than conventional food production methods.
A recent University of Wisconsin Study showed that crop yields for GMOs in most cases were the same or less than non-GMO crops. (Search the Internet for: Union of Concerned Scientists' paper "Failure to Yield" or "Wisconsin Study GMO Yields"
for more details.)

4. GMO crops mean more, not less, pesticides in Josephine County.


A recent update to a Washington State University conducted over 20 years has shown conclusively that in spite of a few successful early years, pesticide use on GMO crops is dramatically up, not down. ( Search the Internet for: "WSU Benbrook pesticide study" for details.) GMO farming in Josephine County means more exposure to pesticides, The American Academy of Pediatrics has listed pesticide exposure as a high risk for children. Increased pesticide use from GMOs also threatens our water supply and river water quality, and ultimately, land values.

5. GMOs are NOT independently tested for human and environmental safety.
GMOs are governed by the doctrine of "substantial equivalence," which states that the only requirement for approval is that the GMO should be "grossly similar" to its natural counterpart. It is based on the scientifically invalid assumption that such similarity grants safety. The studies used for government approval of GMOs are conducted by the very same corporations that create the GMOs . The government requires no independent, long-term studies on how this new genetic experiment affects human health. Emerging research indicates that GMO foods cause organ damage and food allergies.

6. GMOs are "intellectual property" disguised as food.


The multinational chemical corporations that make GMOs intimidate and silence farmers and scientists. GMO corporations use patents and intellectual property rights to sue farmers, enter their properties, block research, and threaten investigators. "For a decade," protested Scientific American editors in 2009, GMO companies "have explicitly forbidden the use of the seeds for any independent research," so "it is impossible to verify that genetically modified crops perform as advertised." Farmers who buy GMO seeds get a bad deal from one-sided contracts. Google "typical GMO contract" to learn more.

7. GMOs are NOT the solution for "world hunger".


That theory has been debunked by numerous studies and reports. During the years of drought, organic outperformed chemical based GMO agriculture. A large percentage of GMOs are produced for biofuels, taking away valuable land that could be used for food production. GMOs threaten food security as the companies offer fewer seed choices to farmers and traditional seeds become less available. Traditional seeds offer the genetic diversity needed to ward off diseases and better adapt to climate change.

www.GMOFreeJosephineCounty.org

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