Kaua'i city council slaps down Monsanto with unprecedented new restrictions on GMOs and toxic pesticides

Thursday, October 17, 2013 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: Kaua'i, measure 2491, GMOs

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(NaturalNews) A milestone has just been achieved on the island in Kaua'i, where the city council passed measure 2491 which places unprecedented new restrictions on toxic agricultural chemicals frequently used in conjunction with GMOs.

Few people realize that Kaua'i is ground zero for chemical experimentation in agriculture. The island hosts 15,000 acres of crop lands which are experimentally exploited by biotech companies and chemical manufacturers. As a result, Hawaiians who live on Kaua'i are exposed to a toxic cocktail of synthetic chemicals on a routine basis.

The bill passed by a vote of 6 to 1, with councilman Mel Rapozo siding with the biotech industry and voting no. Hawaii Governor Abercrombie appears to be set against the bill and tried to block its passage. The biotech industry, as usual, has been busily engaged in false, defamatory, deceptive and even criminal actions in trying to block this city council measure. The industry, for example, routinely bribes scientists to publicly oppose bills restricting GMOs while falsely claiming they have no financial ties to the industry.

What 2491 establishes and requires

The protection provisions of 2491 require:

1) Buffer zones between chemical fields and schools, parks, beaches and hospitals.

2) Disclosure of GMO crops (until now, they have largely remained a secret).

3) Public notification before chemical spraying so that concerned citizens can leave the area and limit their exposure.

4) A county-level environmental assessment of the potentially hazardous effects of the toxic chemicals being sprayed on agricultural crops.

5) Full disclosure of the exact pesticides and herbicides being sprayed, as well as location details of where spraying is taking place.

Help support Hawaii's continued victory against toxic agriculture

An email sent to me by key proponents of 2491 says:

Our massive campaigns across Hawai'i will continue over the next few months, we must pass Bill #113 on Hawai'i Island. On Oahu, after 18 months of pressure, it is time for Kamehameha Schools to EVICT MONSANTO from Hale'iwa. The largest lease to any GMO company on Oahu is the Kamehameha Schools lease of 1,033 acres above the most famous surf breaks in the world. No environmental assessment of chemical contamination has ever occurred in Hale'iwa.

Any day, the chemical companies will file a lawsuit to block the implementation of 2491. The chemical companies are fighting for [their desire] to spray toxic chemicals, (many of them are banned throughout the world) less then 500 feet from schools, such as Waimea Canyon Middle School.

Where to learn more about GMO justice in Hawaii

Hawaii GMO Justice:
http://www.facebook.com/HawaiiGMOJustice

Stop Poisoning Paradise:
http://www.stoppoisoningparadise.org

Hawaii Seed:
http://hawaiiseed.org

Kaua'i Rising:
http://kauai-rising.org