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The Big Island of Hawaii County Council Committee has passed a GMO prohibition Bill by a vote of 6-2. The Bill 113 passed out of committee and is progressing to the full Council, set for October 16th. If the bill passes, it will be a significant victory for those, worldwide, who are concerned about the dangers of GMOs.
The legislation will ban all open air cultivation of GMOs, with the exception of papaya which already has genetically modified forms being grown on the island.
According to the press release issued by La Copachera, a Mexican Federal Judge has ordered Mexico´s Secretariat of Agriculture (SAGARPA) and the SEMARNAT, which is a secretariat similar to the Environmental protection Agency (EPA) in the USA to:
Immediately suspend all activities involving the planting of transgenic corn in the country and end the granting of permission for experimental and pilot commercial plantings”.
The council voted 6 to 1 to make Bill 2491 into law. The lone vote against the bill came from Councilman Mel Rapozo, who said the measure unfairly targets biotech companies and sets the county up for lawsuits.
The law is set to take effect in nine months — with or without the mayor’s signature, because bills receiving five or more votes are veto-proof. (That said, the bill could theoretically run into trouble if members of the council who voted in favor of the bill defected in a vote to override a mayoral veto.)
nikkib0421
reply to post by gladtobehere
This is definately a step in the right direction. I despise GMO's and Monsanto. My only concern is when you switch from GMO's to non-GMO seeds...it's hard to get things to grow in the same place. The remnants of the round-up ready seeds is still present and hampers new growth. What we really need is a safe, effective technology that can reverse this.
Read here
According to the Kaua'i County Clerk's office, the amended version of Bill 2491 will require farms to disclose pesticides use and the presence of genetically modified crops if they use more than five pound of 15 gallons of restricted-use pesticides annually.
The bill also requires a 500 foot buffer zone near medical facilities, schools and homes – among other locations.
Supporters say this is a victory for the Kaua'i community's "right to know".
"It's a very important issue in our community and I'm really happy, I'm very pleased with members of the council for passing this bill," said Councilman Hooser, who helped author and introduce the original bill.
"We just are simply asking for the right to know what toxic pesticides are being sprayed and also asking, I have to say, for reasonable buffer zones around schools, hospitals and houses," Hooser added.
Phage
Nothing about food there.