{"id":17721,"date":"2016-03-21T00:00:40","date_gmt":"2016-03-21T04:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=17721"},"modified":"2016-03-23T09:25:07","modified_gmt":"2016-03-23T13:25:07","slug":"boulder-county-colorado-to-phase-out-ge-crops-on-public-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2016\/03\/boulder-county-colorado-to-phase-out-ge-crops-on-public-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Boulder County, Colorado to Phase Out GE Crops on Public Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

(Beyond Pesticides, March 21, 2016) <\/em>Last Thursday, Boulder County (CO) commissioners directed staff to draft up a plan to phase out genetically engineered (GE) crops on all farmland owned \u00a0by the county. The county\u2019s current policy, adopted in 2011, allows tenant farmers to grow certain types of GE corn and sugar beets on land leased through Boulder County, and will remain in effect at least until the end of the year. The five-year policy old has frequently come under fire from individuals and environmental groups that challenge the safety of GE crop production systems, and their effect on human health, water quality, soil health, and the overall environment.<\/p>\n

\"cornplants\"The Boulder County commissioners heard \u00a0recommendations from the county’s advisory committees, including the county\u2019s Croplands Policy Advisory Group, the Food and Agriculture Policy Group, and the Parks and Open Space Advisory Group. A public hearing was held on Feb. 29<\/a> \u00a0also provided public input on whether to continue or change the current approval in Section 6.1 of the Boulder County Parks & Open Space Cropland Policy that allows for the use of certain genetically engineered (GE) crops on Open Space land. That approval expires on December 20, 2016. More than 100 people spoke at the day-long public hearing, and hundreds more have submitted written comments<\/a> since mid-January. After the public comments, on a 5-3 vote<\/a> \u00a0the \u00a0Parks and Open Space Advisory Group recommended that Boulder County commissioners permit GE crops for at least five more years. While this and other advisory groups’ recommendations must be considered, the Boulder County commissioners have the final say.<\/p>\n

Before \u00a0the final vote, two of the three commissioners, Deb Gardner and Elise Jones, expressed their support for transitioning away from GE crops on county lands. As reported by Times Call<\/a><\/em>, Ms. Jones said the nearly 1,180 total acres of leased-from-the-county land now used to grow GMO crops annually could be phased out of those kinds of crops over a three-to-five-year period. Ms. Gardner said the transition “should happen in close partnership with the farmers leasing the land” and may have to be done “on a field-by-field” basis. The third commissioner, Cindy Domenico, concurred \u00a0with the Parks and Open Space Advisory Group\u2019s recommendation, supporting the continuation of current cropland policy.<\/p>\n

Last September, after pressure from local advocacy groups like Bee Safe Boulder<\/a>, Boulder County enacted a historic measure<\/a>, stating the county\u2019s dedication to and plan for countywide bee safe practices, which also briefly addressed the issue of GE crops:<\/p>\n