Talking Points

The Genetically Engineered Food Labeling Act will:

• Require all foods and food products containing genetically engineered (GE) organisms to be labeled.
• Allow foods that are GE organism free to be labeled as GE free.
• Create a registry of food, food products, and producers that is available through the web or through written request.

We need this act because:

• Consumers have no way of knowing if they are eating GE foods.
• Some people may be allergic to proteins present in GE foods.
• Consumers should be able to choose whether or not they want to buy GE products.

The Genetically Engineered Food Liability Food Act will:

• Guarantee that biotechnology companies and manufacturers are held responsible for the improper cultivation and consumption of genetically engineered organisms used for food and food products.
• Hold biotechnology companies and manufacturers responsible for actions that endanger the health and safety of both the environment and the general public.

We need this act because:

• The federal government has failed to enact strategies that protect the integrity of the agricultural sector and the health of the general public.
• A number of recent examples, including a case heard by the Canadian Supreme Court, demonstrate the immediate need to protect farmers from actions that harm their economic well-being and health.
• There is no instrument available that holds companies and manufacturers accountable when their genetically engineered products cause harm including human health effects, environmental harm, and crop contamination.

The Genetically Engineered Organism Ban Act will:

• Ban the growing of and planting of genetically engineered crops in the state for a period of no more than five years.
• Require a study be performed to ascertain the implications genetically engineered crops would have on the agricultural economy.

We need this act because:

• It is necessary for states to consider the impacts growing and planting genetically engineered crops would have on their agricultural economies because of the potential ecological and fiscal harms.

Genetically engineered organisms could negatively affect economies.

• State agricultural export economies, especially those whose products are exported internationally, may lose substantial amounts of money due to some international countries’ refusal to accept any GE contamination. GE corn has been refused by European countries – at an estimated cost of $814 million over five years and GE wheat would be refused by many Southeast Asian countries, affecting as much as 93% of Montana’s wheat export.
• Studies have shown that farmers have actually lost money planting certain GE crops rather than saving money as promised by seed companies. In some cases, it was a loss of $1.33 per acre of planted crop.
• Organic farmers risk losing their organic certification in addition to substantial economic losses if their crops are contaminated.

Consumers are uninformed concerning the possible risks associated with genetically engineered organisms.

• Consumers have a right to choose whether or not they want to purchase and consume products containing GE organisms.
• Consumers with food allergies have a right to know whether or not the food products they purchase may contain allergens that could trigger a severe reaction.
• The federal government has failed to enact strategies that protect the integrity of the agricultural sector and the health of the general public.
• The federal government has adopted a “wait-and-see” approach, while pressuring the international community into accepting GE products, even in the face of much resistance.
• The international community, including the European Union, has adopted greater safeguards and the precautionary principle approach as a safeguard.
• The labeling of food and food products will not affect the sale of those products.

States need to take action because:

• The currently regulatory scheme is lax, with several high profile accidents regarding GE organisms headlining the news in recent years.
• The current regulatory scheme is outdated and complex. The current guidelines were developed in 1986, and agricultural biotechnology has seen much advancement since then. There are three federal agencies and potentially twelve federal laws guiding how GE organisms are regulated.
• States are on the forefront of regulating GE organisms. In the 2003 legislative sessions, 32 states introduced 130 pieces of legislation regarding GE organisms.
• States are creating a patchwork of regulations that will eventually force the federal government into dealing with the issue.

Genetically engineered organisms may negatively affect the environment.

• GE organisms can genetically contaminate food crops, and especially affect the integrity of organic crops.
• GE organisms may also genetically contaminate the natural environment, with potentially devastating ecological consequences.
• GM crops have been shown to increase the use of herbicides and pesticides, rather than reducing the use of those products.
• Pests of certain crops are showing resistance to pesticides, and pesticide-resistant weeds known as “superweeds” are beginning to appear.
• GE organisms could diminish the biodiversity of the environments they are introduced to.