Hawaii: Temporary ban on GM crops

A group of Maui County residents has collected enough valid signatures to put a temporary ban on GM crops before voters this autum, Honolulu Civil Beat reports. This is the first time in the county’s history that residents have gathered enough support to put a citizens’ initiative on the ballot.
 

The Shaka movement has collected 9,062 valid signatures - more than the required 20% of residents who voted in the last election in the county, which is made up of Maui, Molokai and Lanai. Joe Marshalla from Shakat said they were thrilled that the people now had a voice and had been heard.
 

The bill would ban the cultivation of GM crops until the county conducts an environmental and health analysis of genetically modified organisms and pesticides and would also require biotech companies to fund the study. Currently, Monsanto farms corn and soybeans in Maui County, and Dow AgroSciences LLC operates as Mycogen Seeds on Molokai. The full article is available from here.