Agriculture Commissioner seeks meeting with Montville selectboard

There could be a break in the standoff between the Town of Montville and the State of Maine over the town's ordinance banning the planting of genetically modified crops (GMOs). The Maine BioBlog has learned that Agriculture Commissioner Seth Bradstreet, III, is interested in meeting with the Montville selectboard to discuss the town's ordinance and the possible consequences of defending its legality.

Reached last night (June 11), Montville First Selectperson Jay LeGore said he was unaware of the Commissioner's interest in meeting with town officials. Asked it the selectboard would meet with the Commissioner, LeGore replied, "I don't see why not."

In April, Bradstreet sent a letter to the town advising them that the GMO ban passed at town meeting in March violated the states "right to farm law" and declared the ordinance to be "invalid." The Town responded with a letter to the Commissioner outlining why, in their view, the town's ordinance did not violate state law. (See previous Blog article "Montville digs in its heels."

The question of whether the town ordinance is invalidated by Maine's pesticide statutes is still unanswered. Also in April, Henry Jennings, director of Maine Board of Pesticides Control wrote to town officials saying they had failed to notify the Board in advance of the vote as required by law. Accordingly, Jennings letter stated the GMO ban ordinance is "null and void."

Asked whether the town has responded to Jennings, LeGore would only say that the town has sent Jennings a copy of the ordinance. LeGore would not say whether the selectboard has developed a rational as to why the GMO ban is valid, in spite of Jennings "null and void" ruling.