The bill's progress was stalled on a vote instigated by Senate President Pro Tem Peter Shumlin, D-Windham, who voted with three Republicans on the Senate Finance Committee to table the measure. The bill would require farmers who use genetically altered crop seeds to report their use to the commissioner of agriculture and to their local town clerks. The bill would also give farmers some protection against liability if use of the seeds caused environmental or human harm.
Proponents say they represent the next step in the green revolution.
Detractors say the seeds' potential to damage the environment needs better assessment before their wide use is allowed to continue. Although U.S. regulators have approved their use here, the crops are running into popular and governmental resistance abroad. The issue is particularly critical for organic farmers, who worry contamination from the man-made plants will make it impossible to keep natural crops natural. Shumlin said that while there were legitimate questions about the plants, he would only support creation of the summer study committee before actually trying to regulate the plants. But I've heard from a number of farmers who think the bill would be a real imposition on the way they grow crops in Vermont.