“The Great GMO Debate” Reconsidered
In 2009, controversy erupted in Boulder County over the proposed use of GMO sugar beets on county-owned Open Space land. Still unresolved, the conflict has widened to call into question the use of GMOs in agriculture and a public call for labeling of all GMO food products.
Meanwhile, the cropland policy process mandated by the county commissioners and being managed by Parks and Open Space drags on like extended Kabuki theater, with tensions mounting dramatically. The last meeting of the Cropland Policy Advisory Group (CPAG) was an embarrassing spectacle that from my perspective only deepened the divide between conventional farmers and increasingly vocal opponents of GMOs.
A couple of months ago, when we began planning EAT LOCAL! Week, we looked for something we as Transition Colorado could do to contribute to current public discussion about GMOs in food and agriculture. My idea was to host a good old-fashioned debate between two highly-respected but diametrically opposed experts—one representing big industrial agriculture, and the other representing the interests of local organic farming. I imagined that if the debate was well managed, with ample time for penetrating questions, that the core issues would stand out in stark relief.
It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it’s turned into something of a dilemma. What was I thinking of?
My first choice on the “pro” side was to have an executive from Monsanto speak, preferably their EVP of Sustainability. But I’ve been told that they always reject such invitations, and I can easily imagine why. In any case, we have no line of contact with Monsanto, or counterparts such as Syngenta or ADM.
On the other side of the debate, we first invited the Leopold Institute’s Fred Kirschenmann, who was a speaker at EAT LOCAL! Week last year. But Fred replied that heavy spring rains had delayed by five weeks all planting on his 3,000-acre organic farm in North Dakota, and that consequently he would deep in harvest during the time of the debate.
Next, a chance viewing of a disturbing Canadian video about the proposed widespread use of Bt in commercial forestry (think “silent forest”) prompted an inquiry to famed geneticist David Suzuki. Incredibly, we had a line of communication to him through Woody Tasch (Suzuki, now 75, had enthusiastically accepted an invitation to speak at Slow Money’s upcoming conference in San Francisco). But he is away on “sacred time” with his family on that date, so he was unavailable. How unfortunate, especially because he has not only the credibility of a geneticist but the wisdom of an elder who is fearless about speaking of moral and ethical principles and priorities.
From there, the idea of a debate between two heavyweights began to crumble, and I became increasingly ambivalent about the whole idea.
Meanwhile, activists like the GM Know Boulder group have been ratcheting up the heat. In response to public outcry, POS has recently bowed to pressure and reluctantly agreed to include “the voice of the people” in their laborious process, which until now has explicitly excluded citizen comment (except for written comments), focusing instead on discussions with the members of CPAG and a few outside experts. Unfortunately, they scheduled the first public comment session for Aug. 31, which conflicts with our Michael Shuman public event during EAT LOCAL! Week—and the Wednesday Farmers’ Market. But a quick plea to them to not cut the market farmers out of the discussion led to rescheduling to Sept. 1 (that still conflicts with our Slow Money evening, but at least makes it possible for farmers to participate).
Weary of the drama, here’s what I finally came down to. We will host a series of four “TED Talk” style 15-minute presentations by some of the most articulate local voices who can shed some light and wisdom on the issues.
Robyn O’Brien is one of the strongest local voices we have in our community, a mainstreamer who became converted by the food-caused health crisis of her children. Rich Pecoraro of Abbondanza is one of the wisest farmers we know, and it’s time to give him a platform on this thorny issue. Mark Guttridge is a rising young local star in the organic farming scene, has a good scientific footing, and he rarely gets to speak publicly. Then to round this out and to ensure that the moral and ethical issues are placed front and center, I will also speak.
After the presentations, these four will share a discussion and invite questions and comments from the audience. Simple.
When I called Mark Guttridge to ask him to do this, he asked, “Who’s representing the ‘pro’ side?”
“No one,” I replied. “They already get plenty of airtime, and they own most of the sugar beet, corn, soybean, and cotton markets.”
“In that case, count me in,” said Mark.
Truth is, the debate has been raging on for quite a while. I no longer wish to give voice to big agribusiness, as they simply don’t need the opportunity. I’d rather give voice to “the other side,” as it’s far from a level playing field out there. The voices you’ll hear this evening really need to be heard.
So that’s the plan: The Great GMO Debate, Unity of Boulder, Aug. 30, 7:00 p.m. We’re charging $5 admission to cover the costs of the venue. Please join us for this lively evening!
