Farmers' Declaration on Genetic Engineering in Agriculture


     Genetic engineering in agriculture has significantly increased the
     economic uncertainty of family farmers throughout the U.S. and the
     world. American farmers have lost critical markets which are
     closed to genetically engineered products. Corporate control of
     the seed supply threatens farmers' independence. The risk of
     genetic drift has made it difficult and expensive for farmers to
     market a pure product. Genetic engineering has created social and
     economic disruption that threatens traditional agricultural
     practices for farmers around the world. Farmers, who have
     maintained the consumer's trust by producing safe, reasonably
     priced and nutritious food, now fear losing that trust as a result
     of consumer rejection of genetically engineered foods. Many
     scientists believe genetically engineered organisms have been
     released into the environment and the food supply without adequate
     testing. Farmers who have used this new technology may be facing
     massive liability from damage caused by genetic drift, increased
     weed and pest resistance, and the destruction of wildlife and
     beneficial insects.

     Because of all the unknowns, we, as farmers, therefore:

       1. Demand a suspension of sales, environmental releases and
          further government approvals of all genetically engineered
          seeds and agriculture products.

       2. Demand an immediate, independent and comprehensive assessment
          of the social, environmental, health and economic impacts of
          genetically engineered seeds and agricultural products.

       3. Demand a ban on the ownership of all forms of life including
          a ban on the patenting of seeds, plants, animals, genes and
          cell lines.

       4. Demand that agrarian people who have cultivated and nurtured
          crops for thousands of years retain control of natural
          resources and maintain the right to use or reuse any genetic
          resource.

       5. Demand that corporate agribusiness be held liable for any and
          all damages that result from the use of genetically
          engineered crops and livestock that were approved for use
          without an adequate assessment of the risks posed to farmers,
          human health and the environment.

       6. Demand that the corporations and institutions that have
          intervened in the genetic integrity of life bear the burden
          of proof that their actions will not harm human health, the
          environment or damage the social and economic health of rural
          communities. Those corporations must bear the cost of an
          independent review guided by the precautionary principle and
          conducted prior to the introduction of any new intervention.

       7. Demand that consumers in the U.S. and around the globe have
          the right to know whether their food is genetically
          engineered and have a right to access naturally produced
          food.

       8. Demand that farmers who reject genetic engineering should not
          bear the cost of establishing that their product is free of
          genetic engineering.

       9. Demand the protection of family farmers, farmworkers,
          consumers, and the environment by ending monopoly practices
          of corporate agribusiness through enforcement of all state
          and federal anti-trust, market concentration and corporate
          farming laws; by a renewed commitment to public interest
          agricultural research led by the land grant colleges; by an
          immediate shift of funding from genetic engineering to
          sustainable agriculture; and by expanding the availability of
          traditional varieties of crops and livestock.

      10. Demand an end to mandatory check off programs that use
          farmers' money to support and promote genetic engineering
          research and corporate control of agriculture.



                    ENDORSERS OF THE FARMERS' DECLARATION
                    ON GENETIC ENGINEERING IN AGRICULTURE


     American Corn Growers Association
     California Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
     Citizen Action Coalition of Indiana (CAC)
     Dakota Resource Council (ND)
     Empire State Family Farm Alliance
     Family Farm Defenders
     Federation of Southern Cooperatives
     Illinois Stewardship Alliance
     Indiana Citizen Action Coalition
     Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
     Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement
     Land Loss Prevention Project (NC)
     Land Stewardship Project (MN)
     Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
     Michigan Organic Food and Farm Alliance
     Minnesota COACT
     The Minnesota Project
     Missouri Rural Crisis Center
     National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
     National Catholic Rural Life Conference
     National Family Farm Coalition
     Northeast Organic Farming Association (VT)
     North American Farm Alliance (OH)
     Northern Plains Resource Council (MT)
     Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Assocation
     Organic Growers of Michigan
     Rural Advancement Foundation International - USA
     Rural Coalition
     Rural Vermont
     Sustainable Cotton Project
     Western Colorado Congress
     Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
     Women, Food and Agriculture


     For further information or to contact groups individually, please
     contact (202) 543-5675 or email at nffc@nffc.net