Colorado’s GMO labeling ballot measure fails

Colorado’s initiative to label genetically modified foods failed strongly among voters Tuesday, with 68 percent of votes statewide coming in against Proposition 105 with 10 of 64 counties reporting results as of press time. The measure failed even worse among Weld County voters. Seventy-seven percent voted against the initiative in early poll results, with 46.6 percent of county ballots counted. Don Shawcroft, president of the Colorado Farm Bureau, said future discussions on GMO regulations should be handled on the federal level to avoid disadvantaging Colorado producers. “The major flaw comes back to what we’ve been saying all along, that is was misleading, it was costly and it was unfair. There’s no doubt that the voters made their decision based on what we presented as the facts and they were not refuted,” Shawcroft said. “There were a lot of false claims and scare tactics that were presented to the voters, but it certainly is evident that they turned those down and that they joined not only Colorado farmers and ranchers, but certainly the editorial boards across the state that urged a ‘no’ vote.”...more