It's a small beginning, but many worthy achievements have one. Montville, a tiny town in Maine, has voted overwhelmingly to legally ban genetically modified crops in their community, making it the first place in the U.S., outside of California, to "pass a binding measure restricting genetically modified crops".

According to Jen King, owner and operator of Skyview Family Farm and a proponent of the ordinance, “Genetic engineering is a new kind of pollution that spreads and reproduces when it is released into the environment. Once a GE crop exists in the environment, its pollen can be passed on, contaminating other plants from the same species. And these newly contaminated plants can then reproduce the pollution, thereby threatening the diversity of our crops and heirloom seeds. -- Food For Maine's Future

Boy, don't we know it.

The state of Maine is in a bit of a quandary at the moment. Up until last year Monsanto's Bt corn, a plant that currently makes up about 35% of U.S. corn crops, was not allowed to be grown in the state (in fact, it was the only state where the plant couldn't be grown or sold). Bt corn is genetically modified to incorporate a gene that codes for the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin, essentially meaning that every cell of the resulting plant contains pesticide, and the state regarded it as such, putting the plant under the scrutiny of the Maine Board of Pesticides Control. Last July, after pressure from local dairy farmers that wanted to grow Monsanto's Bt Corn for livestock feed, the board decided to approve the introduction of Bt corn into the state (despite arguments from organic farmers who feared genetic contamination would corrupt their crops and livestock). That approval, however, had barely been secured, when a study from scientists at Indiana University discovered that important non-target insects were being adversely impacted by the plant, with potentially serious implications for aquatic ecosystems.

Researchers, including Todd V. Royer, an assistant professor in the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs, established that pollen and other plant parts containing toxins from genetically engineered Bt corn are washing into streams near cornfields. They also conducted laboratory trials that found consumption of Bt corn byproducts produced increased mortality and reduced growth in caddisflies, aquatic insects that are related to the pests targeted by the toxin in Bt corn. Caddisflies, Royer said, "are a food resource for higher organisms like fish and amphibians. And, if our goal is to have healthy, functioning ecosystems, we need to protect all the parts. Water resources are something we depend on greatly." -- Science Daily

Subsequent to this report, many are pleading to have Maine's recent approval for Bt corn revoked, and, of course, the biotech industry is doing all they can to undermine the conclusions of the study. Rather than look into the issue further, and take a precautionary approach, Big Biotech would prefer plantings to proceed and worry about potential issues later (see comments at bottom of this article). In addition to deliberating over the Bt corn issue, Maine has also been working to protect non-GM farmers from lawsuits from biotech companies. As we've written before, if a farmer's crop becomes contaminated by wind-blown pollen from neighbouring GM fields or passing trucks, the farmer can then become the subject of legal action for using the seed, or 'intellectual property', of the industry. It's an amazing self-replicating business model. Monsanto has budgeted $10 million dollars annually for a department staffed by 75 employees whose sole purpose is to investigate potential 'theft' of their technology, and to engage in law suits against farmers. As we know, it is impossible to stop the spread of genetically modified pollen, thus there is the potential to ultimately make all farmers, everywhere, captive customers to this highly profitable industry. Faced with law suits from such a powerful company, many farmers simply pay their fines (sometimes running into millions of dollars) rather than risk complete bankruptcy trying to contest the claims in court, and, many go bankrupt through the fines alone.

Outcomes of lawsuits brought by Monsanto against farmers are mostly kept under wraps. If farmers are tempted to breach confidentiality they can face fines greater than the settlements. But where judgments have been publicly recorded, sizeable payments benefit not only Monsanto, but also partner companies. Combined financial penalties have forced many farmers into bankruptcy and off their land. Agriculture is suffering losses all around because of the disappearance of foreign markets. The US Farm Bureau estimates that farmers lose over $300 million a year because European markets refuse GM corn. The US State Department says that as much as $4 billion could be lost in agricultural exports due to EU labelling and traceability requirements. Organic and conventional farmers alike have lost their premium markets through having no choice but to sell their contaminated crops into GM crop streams. -- Institute of Science in Society

Kudos to Montville for their GM ban. May other communities begin to educate themselves on GM issues, and take a stand for health, for food and environmental security, and for democracy. Further Reading:

• Calling Five Percent of U.S. Residents to Action on GMOs
• The Failures of Genetically Modified Crops Continue
• “GM-Free Organic Agriculture to Feed the World”
• Open Letter to UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “GM crops will not feed the world”
• The World According to Monsanto
• A Backgrounder on the Food Crisis: Misery is Profitable
• The Global Spread of GMO Crops
• The Food Revolution - Genetic Engineering, Part I
• GM Crops, Pesticides, and the Poor
• Carbon Credits Used to Fund GMOs?
• Open Letter to Hillary Clinton From a Wellesley College Alumna
• The Health Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
• Pay Monsanto, or Starve