Vegetarians, one by one, will change the world. SV supports veggie lifestyles with:

What's A Savvy Vegetarian?

Judy K - ancient veg, plain cook, mad gardener, prolific picture taker, meditates, yogas a bit, loves dancing...

Savvy Vegetarian Blog - News and Opinion

Vegetarian Lifestyle, Environment, Health

Mon, 21 Mar 2005

CALLING ALL IOWANS: A CALL TO ACTION ON GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CROPS PROTECT IOWANS FROM STATE LEGISLATION THAT THREATENS OUR COMMUNITIES, FARMERS AND CONSUMERS

The Iowa legislature is considering a bill that would prohibit local governments from regulating agricultural seed. Local governments would be denied the right to protect their communities, farmers, and consumers from unknown consequences of genetically engineered crops, including drug-producing pharmaceutical crops. Iowa is one of several states facing similar legislation.

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR AND GOVERNOR!

The agricultural seed bill, House File 642, has already passed the Iowa House of Representatives and will next be considered by the Iowa Senate. It is critical for Senators and Governor Vilsack to hear from constituents that Iowans do not want or need this bill.

To contact your Senator by phone, call the Senate switchboard at 515-281-3371
(To find who your Senator is, call your County Auditor's office or visit http://www.legis4.state.ia.us/find-leg/)
To email your Senator, get the email address from http://www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/Legislators/SenateEmail.aspx
To contact Governor Vilsack, call (515) 281-5211. To send an email, go to http://www.governor.state.ia.us

PROTECT THE ABILITY OF OUR COMMUNITIES TO SHAPE THEIR FUTURE

Townships, cities and counties must have local control of agriculture to serve the public good.

For example, communities should have the right to avoid the production of risky pharmaceutical crops. These crops are the newest wave of genetically engineered crops unapproved for human consumption. As we've experienced with the Prodigene and Starlink incidents, contamination of the food supply hurts Iowa farmers and Iowa's reputation around the world.

Since the contamination of neighboring farms by GE crops is inevitable, rural communities must have the option to establish local protections. This is particularly important for organic farmers, whose markets are growing at a rate of 20% per year.