Submitted by Diane Farsetta on
"Saying their livelihoods are threatened, powerful forces that drive California's $27 billion agricultural economy are mobilizing to defeat a November ballot initiative to ban biotech crops in Sonoma County, and possibly even prohibit such county bans with new legislation in coming days," reports the Sacramento Bee. Sonoma County farm groups have raised $200,000 to fight the proposed "10-year moratorium on growing genetically modified crops." Their recent newspaper ad warned residents of anti-biotech groups' "scare tactics" and "fear and misinformation." Statewide groups "have launched a political organizing effort, campaign Web site and fundraising operation to confront anti-biotech groups." Three California counties have banned genetically engineered seeds. One state senator is trying to stop the Sonoma vote, by "stripping one of his air pollution bills of its language and inserting new language outlawing county bans on biotech seeds."
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