Washington State, San Juan Island Grange, Friday Harbor
SAN JUAN ISLAND GRANGE #966 RESOLUTION CONCERNING GENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF AGRICULTURAL ORGANISMS
WHEREAS, farmers, grazers and gardeners have been modifying the genetics of plants and animals for centuries; and
WHEREAS, the resulting improved breeds and varieties, land races and hybrids are a backbone of efficient agriculture; and
WHEREAS, the Grange has always supported scientific advances, but recognizes that not all resultant technologies are wholly beneficial; and
WHEREAS, laboratory creation of new organisms through technologies such as gene-splicing, together with novel legal ownership patterns present problems that traditional breeding has not; and
WHEREAS, it is therefore important to distinguish between traditional breeding practices and new genetic technologies;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the San Juan Island Grange #966 recognizes that genetic modification through certain modern technologies is fundamentally different from that created through traditional breeding and hybridization; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the San Juan Island Grange #966 recognizes that recent changes in patent law concerning corporate ownership of seed stocks has created legal and economic challenges for agricultural production; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the San Juan Island Grange #966 encourage the establishment of new regulations, contractual relationships and best practices that deal with the challenges of these new technologies; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that this resolution be forwarded to the next session of the Washington State Grange together with a recommendation for favorable action therein.
