Following five months of debate, the Hawaii County Council passed an amended bill to restrict genetically altered crops during its first reading Wednesday.
Following five months of debate, the Hawaii County Council passed an amended bill to restrict genetically altered crops during its first reading Wednesday.
Council voted 6-2, after about 30 minutes of discussion which focused on changes proposed by Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille.
Hilo Councilman Dennis Onishi and Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan voted no. Puna Councilman Zendo Kern was absent because of an illness.
Wille’s amendments change her bill to include an emergency exemption clause and allows for the identity of farms that grow exempted transgenic crops to be kept private.
The vote was met with applause from the audience at the West Hawaii Civic Center and repeated shouts of “Bravo!”
The bill will need one more vote as well as Mayor Billy Kenoi’s signature to become law. The next vote is scheduled for Nov. 6.
The legislation, while not banning all transgenic crops, is intended to limit their spread on the Big Island. The island has the most agricultural land in the state but has not been selected by biotech companies to host seed farms, as seen on Kauai and Oahu and in Maui County.
Wille, who introduced the bill, believes Hawaii County needs a law to prevent those companies from coming here as well as protect farmers from cross-pollination and residents from the spraying of chemicals.
The development of herbicide-resistant crops has been a major source of criticism of the technology and the companies that produce them.
Opponents of transgenic crops, typically referred to as genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, say this leads to increased spraying of chemicals as well as the development of “super weeds.”
Some critics of the bill have noted that it wouldn’t stop the spraying of herbicides on the island, only further adoption of resistant crops, and they argue that modified varieties can reduce the use of chemicals in certain cases.
The bill would ban only the open-air use of transgenic crops with exemptions for papaya and other modified crops grown here. That is believed to be limited to Big Island Dairy on the Hamakua Coast, which grows transgenic corn for feed.
Still, bill opponents argue the legislation will prevent farmers from adopting modified strains that may be able to fight pests and disease, as well as help reduce costs.
Wille argued the bill would still allow for genetic research at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, as long as crops are restricted to a greenhouse or research facility.
“We want research to be in a controlled environment for obvious reasons,” she said.
So far, the state Attorney General’s Office has yet to provide an opinion as to whether the bill creates any conflicts with the state’s authority.
Eric Weinert, general manager of Calavo Growers, told Stephens Media Hawaii he intends to file a lawsuit challenging the bill if it is adopted.
The bill would also require farms growing exempted GMO crops to register with the county at the cost of $100 per year.
Violators would be fined $1,000 per day.
Information submitted could be kept confidential under Wille’s amendment.
The emergency exemption would allow farmers to choose a modified variety to fight problems such as disease.
The exemption, which would come with “reasonable restrictions and conditions,” would expire within five years.
Some testifiers spoke against it Tuesday.
Ka‘u/South Kona Councilwoman Brenda Ford also criticized it Wednesday, calling it a loophole.
“I think it dramatically weakens the bill,” she said.
The council is considering forming an ad hoc committee to study the GMO issue further if the bill is adopted.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.