Opposing Views on
Controversial GMO Proposal

As its first order of business, the 2006 Vermont legislature took up a red hot issue—genetically modified organisms (GMO) and what to do with them. Opinions are bitterly divided, especially among farmers, on the issue, and a great deal of GMO corn and other product is already being grown in the state.

Last year the House and Senate passed two different bills. The Senate one was stronger, including language to make manufacturers of modified seeds mOre liable for damage caused by pollen spreading to a neighboring farm—a farm which may not welcome the new strain.

The House of Representatives Tuesday rejected a motion to strenthen its bill to the level of the Senate's bill, by a vote of 79-68, with farmers prominent in the audience. Vermont Agriculture Commissioner Steve Kerr, who strongly prefers the House version, praised the outcome.

However, some Senators, including John Campbell, D-Windsor, said they would attempt to have the Senate language inserted into the final product when the two legislative bodies meet in a conference committee.

Below, two farmers give their opposing views on the overall bill, which is called the Farmer Protection Act.