Oregon’s GMO Labeling Measure Defeated by Monsanto’s Millions
Oregon’s GMO labeling Measure 92 has gone through multiple vote-counts before an outcome could be determined. But now after a full-vote and recount, the decision is final: Oregon’s GMO labeling effort will not go forward. This is sad news from Oregon, though the fact that the “Yes” to GMO labelling campaign came so close to winning in spite of being massively outspent by the opposition is an extraordinary achievement.
“The labeling movement will continue to grow,” the campaign said in a statement. “We draw strength from the fact that we came so achingly close to winning this vote, despite being outspent by more than $12 million.”
Yes on 92 campaign says there are no legal options remaining that could lead them to victory but labelling movement will continue to grow.
“After looking at the facts about Measure 92, Oregon voters decided that it rightly deserved a no vote,” Pat McCormick, a spokesman for the No on 92 Coalition, said in a statement.
A judge on Tuesday rejected the campaign’s request for a temporary injunction preventing the certification of the recount results.
The campaign was the most expensive in Oregon history with combined spending of nearly $30 million, with proponents being backed primarily by natural food companies and advocates. The opposition campaign was funded by agricultural companies and food manufacturers.
Similarly, just take a look at the spending breakdown from key GMO labeling initiative Prop 37 in California. ‘It’s amazing how far we come when this is what we’re up against.
Read: Top Companies Trying to Stop GMO Labeling
“We are certainly disappointed with the ruling as we feel strongly that those 4,600 votes are valid and should be counted,” said Paige Richardson, manager of the Yes on 92 campaign. “Oregonians will never know the true outcome of this election.”
Though even with this unfortunate loss, there is no question that we are becoming ever closer to achieving the right to truly know what’s in our food. Despite biotech spending millions of dollars to sway the public (and having ties with political leaders), our collective voice is growing stronger every year.
Voluntary labeling by the companies that do not use GMO’s should go a good way to sorting the issue. If those that don’t use GMOs label their products as GMO free then folks can choose to buy those if they want to. The products with GMO’s in them cannot say GMO free, surely.
GMO and non-GMO crops can’t exist together. Eventually w/gene drift they will all be contaminated! It is time to stop wasting what little time we have on labeling. It is nonsense! BAN GMOS NOW!
You Don’t legislate crime You Prosecute it PERIOD. Labeling gmo’s only
serves to legitimize them. Burn the crops storm the stores and destroy
the product imprison anyone who profits from the production, possession
and sale of poisoned food. You are wasting time better spent stopping
geoengineering and mitigating it’s affects of which you are rapidly
running out of time to do. Pull your heads out of whatever hole it’s in
and get your priorities in order. You are the only saviour you’ve been
waiting for. Will You show up? So far it looks like the answer is no You
won’t. You will chase your tails into oblivion. You are the zombie
apocalypse. Will you want labels on your neighbors when you turn to eat
them? News flash they are already tainted just as you are. You’d better
wake up and choose your battles more wisely because You are one
catastrophe away from cannibalism. Need to read that again? ONE. The
food supply is drying up real fast. This is no time for personal pet
issues and “choices”. When cross contamination of gmo crops eradicate
non-gmo crops labels are meaningless anyway. Think about what you are
doing. You are working to eradicate non-gmo food by doing anything other
than total destruction of gmo’s and that makes You willing participants
in Our collective demise and You will be accountable for having done
so. When the food is gone I’m coming to eat you labelers first. I hear
the babies are the tastiest feed them well please fat is where the
flavor is.
Why don’t we just Ban GMOs? They’ve been banned in other countries. How did they convince the public to vote to ban GMO’s?
They didn’t vote. Their government cares more about the people and the environment than the all mighty dollar!
This is a sad news 🙁 We need to boycott those big corporation’s products.