LD 1266
pg. 2
Page 1 of 2 An Act to Protect Against Contamination of Crops and Wild Plant Populations by ... LD 1266 Title Page
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LR 1178
Item 1

 
3. Liability.__A manufacturer that fails to comply with the
requirements of subsection 1 or 2 is strictly liable to any
agricultural grower for any damages due to cross-contamination of
nongenetically engineered plants by genetically engineered
plants, including but not limited to:

 
A.__Loss of any price premium that would have accrued to a
grower of nongenetically engineered products by contract or
other marketing arrangement, or that would have been
otherwise reasonably available to the farmer through
ordinary commercial channels;

 
B.__Additional transportation, testing, storage, handling,
or related charges or costs incurred by the farmer that
would not have been incurred in the absence of cross-
contamination; and

 
C.__A judgment, charge or penalty for which the farmer of
nongenetically engineered products is liable due to breach
of contract, including loss of organic certification, for
failure to deliver a crop free of genetically engineered
material or for delivering a crop exceeding any
contractually agreed tolerances for the presence of
genetically engineered material.

 
A manufacturer that fails to comply with the requirements of
subsection 1 or 2 is also strictly liable to the State for
damages for harm to natural resources, including but not limited
to costs of restoration of resources damaged by cross-
contamination.

 
Nothing in this subsection may be interpreted as limiting the
liability of a manufacturer or a grower for damages caused by
genetically engineered plants. The provisions of this subsection
are not subject to waiver, by agreement or otherwise.

 
SUMMARY

 
This bill requires a manufacturer of genetically engineered
plants, planting stock or seeds to provide growers with
instructions on how to plant, cultivate and harvest the
genetically engineered material to avoid contamination of plants
of nongenetically engineered origin. It requires the
manufacturer to enter into written contracts with growers and
file the contracts with the Department of Agriculture, Food and
Rural Resources. It enacts provisions for manufacturer
liability when contamination of nongenetically engineered plants
by genetically engineered plants occurs.


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