County biotech bans spark a push for state control
Farmers worried about potential effects of
genetically altered crops on environment.

[excerpt:]
Bans on genetically engineered crops and animals in three California counties have triggered a national backlash.

Since late last year, 14 states have passed bills that bar towns, cities and counties from regulating genetically engineered crops -- a direct reaction to the California counties' first-in-the-nation bans on growing such plants.

Now the movement has circled back to California, where a state senator from the agriculture-dependent Central Valley wants to undo county controls by establishing state authority on the issue.

...

Some farmers are worried about the potential effects of introducing genetically altered crops into the food supply and the environment. They say those impacts haven't been adequately studied.

"It's a reckless approach to handling agriculture and the ecosystem," said Peter Martinelli, an organic farmer in Marin County. "Why are we willing to risk the natural biology of plant species with these Franken-seeds?"

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© 2005 MercuryNews.com and wire service sources.

The full article is available on the San Jose Mercury News website.