C.O. farmers, voters react to GMO-label defeat
It was a close race out among the crops, but a bare majority of Oregon voters said “no” on Measure 92, meaning food companies won’t have to label foods with genetically modified organisms.
Opponents of the measure said this would be a big win for farmers, but not all who own farmland feel that way.
“If someone is spraying my corn with Roundup, that’s corn that I wouldn’t like to consume,” Alan Rousseau, owner of the Pine Mountain Buffalo Ranch, said Wednesday. “And I hope that my family has the option to know if they’re consuming it or not.”
With more than 1.4 million Oregonian votes counted, the measure is losing by a mere 10,000 votes.
Some of the leaders of the movement to label GMOs are hanging onto hope, but The Associated Press and The Oregonian, among others, have called the race.
A few frustrated voters in downtown Bend shared what they believe wound up being the difference in Oregon’s tightest contest.
“I don’t think people understand (the measure) enough still,” said Bend resident Eileen Lock. “And when people don’t understand something, they’re hesitant to go anything other than no.”
Jann Burgess has lived in Bend for the last nine years, and says it was exorbitant spending by the opposition that won the race.
“I think it’s frustrating that money dictates a vote,” said Burgess.
The opposition spent around $21 million on advertising, roughly three times more than the supporters’ campaign.
However, for a vocal opposition leader like Deschutes County Farm president Matt Cyrus, the spending was necessary to help voters make sense out of a complicated issue.
“I’m happy for the win, but it also points to the necessity for agriculturists to educate the public on food safety, and how safe our food is,” said Cyrus.
It’s a talking point that’s shared on both sides of an issue that was too close to call on Election Day.
The vote was slightly less split in Deschutes County, with 46 percent of residents voting “yes” on Measure 92 to the opposition’s 53 percent. Colorado voters rejected a similar measure on Tuesday.
