MONTVILLE -- Organic supporters hailed Saturday's vote to adopt a town ordinance banning the use of genetically modified plants as a landmark decision -- but farmers who rely on the pest-resistant crops say farming communities are unlikely to follow suit.

Residents at Saturday's town meeting overwhelmingly approved an ordinance that prohibits growing genetically engineered crops for the next 10 years. The few Montville farmers currently growing the engineered crops are required to register with the code enforcement officer while phasing out use over the next two years.

Believed to be the first municipal ban on genetically engineered crops outside of California, it is unclear whether the ordinance conforms with state law, according to a spokesman for the Maine Department of Agriculture.

Ned Porter, deputy commissioner of the department, who had not seen the ordinance, said Monday that the department will seek input from the attorney general's office.

Maine statute requires the department to review town ordinances that impact agriculture, Porter said.

"How that may play out in this case I'm not sure," he said.

The moratorium is the latest turn in a sometimes heated debate over the use of genetically engineered crops.

While organic farmers worry about cross-contamination, the evolution of super-resistant pests and even lawsuits due to accidental contamination, farmers who rely on genetically engineered crops say the technology is a safe and efficient method for reducing the use of dangerous herbicides and turning a better yield.

Maine, which has allowed other forms of genetically engineered crops, in July became the last state in the union to allow the use of so-called Bt corn.

State representatives are expected to vote as early as today on L.D. 1650, a bill that would amend laws concerning genetically engineered plants and seeds.

While that bill has spawned debate, the Montville moratorium passed with ease, said Montville First Selectman Jay LeGore.

"A few people were concerned about government regulations," LeGore said.

"People don't want government telling them what they can and can't do on their property."

Montville's Diana George Chapin, who helped develop the ordinance over the past two years -- residents passed a resolution in 2006 demanding the town develop an ordinance banning genetically engineered crops -- breeds early American and Victorian-era plants at Heirloom Garden of Maine.

"The plants we have are pure plants that have been saved by ordinary people like ourselves for many generations," Chapin said.

But her primary motivation for helping make the moratorium a reality was concern for her family, friends and security of the food system, she said.

"We are not involved in this out of concern for our business," Chapin said. "We're concerned about the future of seed."

Saturday's decision, which was primarily rendered by consumers, not farmers, proves that concern runs across the spectrum, Chapin said.

"That, to me, made a powerful statement about this community and said something about who is concerned about this issue," Chapin said. "It's not just farmers."

Logan Perkins of Protect Maine Farmers, a statewide organization that opposes the use of genetically engineered crops, said Montville's decision was an example of what could happen in other communities.

"It's clearly a demonstration of where the public in general stands," Perkins said. "Montville happens to be the first place to get organized. In some ways, Montville is a bellwether of public opinion."

But Vernon DeLong, executive director of the Maine Agriculture Bargaining Council in Presque Isle, said similar ordinances are unlikely to be imposed in communities where farming is a lifeblood.

"If you were in an agricultural area I don't think you'd stand a chance of doing that," he said.

While he does not fear similar bans spreading throughout the state, DeLong said he is troubled by what he called Montville's willingness to put farmers at a disadvantage.

"We think growers struggling to make a living need all the tools available to them to grow the market," DeLong said. "There's nothing that says genetically engineered whatever is harmful. Even mother nature genetically engineers crops. This relates from fear more than science."

Rather than state or town intervention, the Department of Agriculture has always encouraged farmers to work together to keep each other informed of the types of crops they are growing and to resolve conflict.

"That's the way it works best," Porter said. "Farmers in these times need access to all the tools."

Chapin believes banning the use of genetically engineered crops will allow farmers to tap into a market eager to buy the freshest, healthiest food possible.

"I think there's a massive potential for genetically-engineered-free crops in this country and in this world," Chapin said. "The state of Maine should think really hard about the economic potential of having a genetically-engineered-free state."

But when DeLong switched to standard canola varieties rather than genetically engineered a number of years ago hoping to find a niche market, he found none existed.

"All in all we thought we could find a market that would reward us for doing that," DeLong said. "In the final analysis we gave up. You produce the market and it will take care of itself."

Heather Spalding, associate director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, praised Montville for its decision and for proactively helping farmers phase out genetically engineered crops.

"The big thing is communicating the alternatives that organic farmers are using," Spalding said. "It doesn't have to be an adversarial approach. It can be a real bridge-building approach."

Craig Crosby -- 487-3288

ccrosby@centralmaine.com