Come November, the citizens of Maui County could be voting on a temporary suspension of all genetically modified crop production in their county. The only thing standing in the way of a public vote on the matter is the collection
Come November, the citizens of Maui County could be voting on a temporary suspension of all genetically modified crop production in their county. The only thing standing in the way of a public vote on the matter is the collection of 8,500 signatures.
Kauai County Councilman Tim Bynum said it is a more comprehensive moratorium than the one proposed in the original version of Bill 2491, which would have placed a moratorium on field expansion.
“That’s a much more in-your-face proposal than what we proposed,” Bynum said of the Maui proposal. “It really says stop what you’re doing currently.”
On Friday, five Maui citizens, including Mark Sheehan and Lorrin Pang, submitted the new ordinance to the Maui County Clerk’s office. To get on the 2014 ballot, the citizens must submit the registered voters’ signatures by March 31.
The citizens assert that the growing of genetically engineered seed, other GMO experimentation, and the spraying of pesticides in Maui County differ significantly from the GE food farming occurring elsewhere in the world and pose unique risks that have not been studied and are not adequately monitored by county, state or federal agencies, according to a release Friday.
“The Agro-chemical companies have effectively turned Hawaii into their own outdoor laboratory, which they operate with impunity.” Sheehan said in a release. “On Kauai, for example, a documented correlation has been made between rising levels of pesticide application and rising incidences of birth defects. That throws the safety of the entire GE operation into question, which brings the ‘Precautionary Principle’ to bear.”
In a recent poll, 54 percent of Maui County citizens said they favored a temporary moratorium which would place the burden on Monsanto to prove that their practices and pesticides are safe, according to Sheehan.
“We were surprised,” he said of the numbers. “We were impressed.”
Sheehan added that the moratorium would force Monsanto and the other companies to stop their practices until they publicly share research that scientifically proves what they are doing on Maui is safe.
On Monday, a petition drive kick-off event was held at the Maui Arts and Cultural Center and included a panel discussion and press conference with the five citizens bringing forth the initiative.
“The citizens of Maui County have serious concerns as to whether the GE seed operations, open-field mixing of pesticide cocktails, and GE crop experimentation occurring in Maui County are causing irreparable harm to the people, the environment, and public trust resources,” Sheehan said in the release.
