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In New Mexico, we are very proud of the many different heritages that make up our agricultural community; it’s a diverse group with deep roots from both rural and urban areas. As the single largest voice for all aspects of agricultural production, with over 16,000 members in the state alone, New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau is leading the charge in our New Mexico community to ensure that our agricultural producers are being held to the highest ethical standards.
We take this role very seriously, as well as our role to provide support as guardians over our natural resources – i.e.. land, water, air – and to be an educational resource.
Consumers are making choices every day whether to go to a store to purchase their food or to a local farmers’ markets or growers stands, and we as consumers deserve the opportunity to have access to education about the food that we are choosing to consume.
During the 2013 legislative session, an amendment to Senate Bill 18 was proposed. This amendment to the New Mexico Food Act, would require the labeling of genetically engineered food and livestock feed. It did not pass for several reasons.
In discussions around this issue I noticed key points in regards to this initiative that were missing in news articles written about the issue, and in conversations that were going on in our communities. There were questions and answers being left out that are critically important in order for consumers to be able to have well-rounded conversations about this topic.
I thought I’d take the opportunity to bring them up:
1. What are the unintended consequences of adding another labeling requirement to food that is produced in New Mexico or is imported in from outside our state?
2. How much will this new regulation cost food producers?
3. How much more will we as consumers have to pay out of pocket to cover these extra costs?
4. As a consumer, is there a better way to gain an understanding of the importance of biotechnology in agriculture and our world’s food system?
5. What has the current dialogue accomplished so far? Has it created fear about agriculture and the food we put on our tables? Or has it provided a vehicle for complete transparency of how science has helped farmers and ranchers of New Mexico provide the food to our community that is vital to our health and wellbeing?
We are supporting those who are working to provide factual information to all of us so that everyone can make informed decisions. We applaud the organic and non-GMO food producers for ensuring that their produce and products are specifically labeled as “organic” or “non-GMO.” We also applaud the food producers that work with agribio products to provide the scientific proof necessary to understand their impact on our land and in our bodies.
Each group has a place in our food system and each provide options for all of us.
It is our goal to create opportunity for conversation that supports food production and food producers, one that is not lopsided, but where all stakeholders know that their voice has value.
If we are to be able to provide and sustain food production to meet the growing demands not only here in New Mexico, but on a global scale we will need every stakeholder at the table of conversation.
For more opportunity to be a part of this conversation we encourage you to visit www.nmfoodfeedsfamilies.com
