Two Oregon Counties Ban the Planting of Genetically Engineered Crops

Two counties in Oregon recently passed bans on the planting of genetically engineered (GE) crops; the Jackson and Josephine County measures passed handily. The Jackson County ordinance: 

It is a county violation for any person or entity to propagate, cultivate, raise or grow genetically engineered plants in Jackson County. 

These efforts began in Jackson County where proponents of the ban (local farmers) gathered enough signatures in 2013 to put a local GE ban on the ballot in the spring of 2014. That effort stirred opposition from seed companies and other parties, which reacted by pushing for a legislative fix to preempt such local agricultural governance. The result is that both of these newly-enacted county bans exist against the backdrop of a recently enacted state law that prohibits local counties from interfering with agricultural choice: 

A local government may not enact or enforce a local law or measure, including but not limited to an ordinance, regulation, control area or quarantine, to inhibit or prevent the production or use of agricultural seed, flower seed, nursery seed or vegetable seed or products of agricultural seed, flower seed, nursery seed or vegetable seed. 

The Oregon county measures are in line with other counties around the country that have enacted such bans (e.g., in Washington, Hawaii, California). In Oregon and the other states with such bans, the rationales advanced for the ban on GE crops include the avoidance of genetic contamination of non-GE crops by neighboring GE crops (e.g., pollen drift). (Several years ago, an apparent genetic contamination of the wheat crop in eastern Oregon elevated concerns about other potential instances of genetic contamination). A further motivation for a GE ban arises from the nature of the engineering itself – these crops are generally engineered for herbicide resistance (Monsanto's Roundup Ready technology) – meaning that the crops can withstand widespread application of these weed-killers. As a result, heavy use of potentially dangerous herbicides is encouraged by the planting of these GE crops, and proponents of such a ban point to the potential environmental and health complications from widespread use of the herbicide. The Oregon counties also have significant numbers of organic farming operations which could face exposure to GE materials or herbicides, scenarios that conflict with established principles of organic farming. 

An apparent clash between the new county ordinances (at least for Josephine County) and the state’s new preemption statute looms, lodged against a backdrop of the significant home rule environment for localities that is found in Oregon; Jackson County was granted a waiver from the state law because the ballot initiative had been established before the law was passed. A similar legal showdown could emerge in Hawaii, which has passed a state preemption statute following the enactment of local GE crop bans. The shifting legal landscape between assertions of local governance and reactive preemption is also occurring with respect to state mandates for the labeling of GE food and pending federal preemption efforts to nullify such laws (see earlier post here). In a further sign of Oregon's attention to the legal issues raised by GE crops and GE food, a citizens' effort is underway to get a mandatory GE food labeling law on the ballot for November, 2014.