By Terri Hallenbeck
Free Press Staff Writer
April 26, 2006
MONTPELIER — Mark Boivin, an Addison dairy farmer, sat in the balcony of the House
chamber Tuesday among a cluster of fellow farmers who use — and swear by –
genetically modified seeds.
Farther down the row of seats, Mike Eastman, an Addison dairy farmer who soon
expects his farm to earn certification as organic and is surrounded by farms that
use genetically modified seeds, sat in another cluster of farmers who are leery of
the relatively new science and worried about its impact on their crops.
On a day when rain made it tough to work in the fields, each was waiting to see what
signal legislators would send about the increasingly common practice in Vermont
farming. Members of the House were debating a bill that would make seed
manufacturers, not farmers, liable if the seeds cause damage to someone else’s land.
“I look at it as a vote to see if they want conventional farming in this state,”
said Boivin, who contends the seeds allow him to use fewer herbicides, saving money
and the environment.
Eastman said he wants to have the choice to stay clear of genetically modified
seeds. “I think it gives adequate protection,” Eastman said of the legislation. “I
feel like it’s a good start.”
Their differing viewpoints played out on the House floor below them. Legislators
jousted back and forth about how the two ways of farming might co-exist.
Could there be a balance between those who use genetically modified seeds and those
opposed to them? Would legislation that places liability for damages caused by the
seeds in the hands of the manufacturers work to bring the farmers together or more
firmly drive a wedge between them? Does the legislation naively dismiss technology
or urge caution toward unproven change?
“What we certainly do not need is infighting,” said Rep. Willem Jewett, D-Ripton,
chairman of the House conference committee that last week reached an agreement on
the bill. He argued that the legislation protects farmers from having to sue fellow
farmers.
“This drives a wedge between conventional and organic farmers,” countered Rep. Bill
Johnson, R-Canaan, a dairy farmer who uses GMO seeds. He said the legislation is
based on a faulty premise that there is something wrong with biotechnology. “What
sort of message do you think farmers who use this technology will come away with?”
Rep. Dexter Randall, P-Troy, a dairy farmer who opposes genetically modified seeds,
responded that the bill does nothing to question the technology of genetic
engineering, but does protect farmers.
As divided as the debate was, so was the vote. The House tally was 77-63 for the
legislation. Tuesday’s vote doesn’t put an end to the debate, however.
“It’s a victory for the moment,” said Caitlin Fox, an organic dairy farmer in
Leicester who said his customers expect a product that is protected from genetic
engineering. “It’s not over yet.”
The legislation is expected to pass the Senate, but Gov. Jim Douglas is likely to
veto it, and Tuesday’s vote wasn’t strong enough to override a veto.
“He doesn’t support the bill in its current form,” Douglas spokesman Jason Gibbs said.
During the House debate, the contingent of pro-GMO farmers filed out of the House
chamber to visit with Douglas in his office. St. Albans farmer Mitch Montagne said
he traveled to Montpelier on Tuesday not expecting to win the House vote, but to
show the governor his opposition.
Contact Terri Hallenbeck at 229-9141 or thallenb@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
GMOs in the field Here’s a look at the use of genetically engineered seeds in
Vermont in 2005:
CORN: 24,988 of the state’s 90,000 acres were planted with genetically modified seeds.
SOYBEANS: All of the state’s 3,518 acres were genetically modified.
ALFALFA: 3.33 acres of the state’s 11,000 were genetically modified.
Source: Agency of Agriculture
GMO legislation in the Legislature THE BILL: S. 18 would make it easier for those
who contend they have suffered a loss of at least $3,500 because of genetically
modified seeds to sue the manufacturers.
WHERE IT STANDS: The House approved an agreement by House and Senate conferees
Tuesday by a vote of 77-63. The Senate votes next, then it goes to the governor, who
opposes it.
ONLINE: To view the bill and the vote, visit Tuesday’s House Journal at
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2006/journal/hj060425.htm