GMO Measures Falter at Polls

The anti-GMO movement’s two biggest efforts—ballot initiatives in Colorado and Oregon that would have required labels for genetically altered food—were defeated during the recent midterm elections.

The results in Colorado and Oregon follow similar ballot initiative defeats in California in 2012 and in Washington state in 2013. While the vote in Oregon was very close (800 votes), in Colorado, the vote was more decisive. There, labeling proponents lost by a 2-1 margin. “If this had been two candidates, they’d say the ‘No on 105’ coalition had a mandate, said Don Shawcroft, Colorado Farm Bureau president and co-chair of No on 105.

This is a win for many agriculture groups, who do not support mandatory labeling. Meanwhile, Hawaiian island of Maui voted to pass a moratorium against the cultivation of genetically engineered crops. It widely expected that industry will challenge the results in Hawaii in court. S