CEO of American Soybean Association says if Senate doesn’t act to stop Vermont’s GMO labeling law, years of technological advances would be lost. According to Censky, 90 percent of all soybeans, corn, sugar beets and cotton have been produced with the use of biotechnology, which has been proven safe to the consumers. That is because they offer so many benefits.“Ag biotechnology has helped farmers to make both insect pest control and weed management safer, while safeguarding crops against disease. It has allowed for a significant reduction in the use of pesticides, and promoted no-till or reduced tillage agriculture systems that helped preserve topsoil from erosion, and enhanced water quality,” he said.
Others concerned about the law include Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association; Chuck Conner, president and CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives; and Leslie Sarasin, president and CEO of the Food Marketing Institute, all of which are urgently requesting the U.S. Senate to pass a bipartisan solution. “Our coalition is backed by over 800 organizations from all 50 states, and we have never been this united on any issue,” explained Conner. “We are all united in opposition to Vermont’s mandatory, on-package GMO labeling law, and the need for a federal solution to prevent a patchwork of costly and confusing state laws.” Conner added that Senate Ag Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, also had said he had never seen a more united opinion on any one agriculture issue. Roberts’ congressional career started in 1981 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.