Dive Brief:
- Hawaii's Maui County will not defend a moratorium on GMO farming that was passed by county voters last fall.
- The county's position, or lack thereof, comes after a motion for summary judgment filed by attorneys representing Monsanto, Dow AgroSciences, and local businesses and organizations affected by the moratorium.
- The motion argues that the ballot initiative itself was unconstitutional because it preempted state and federal law and violated county and state law.
Dive Insight:
In a press release, Center for Food Safety attorney George Kimbrell said, "The people of Maui passed this law through the proper ballot initiative power; the county attorneys, as public servants, have a duty to defend it. This is highly unusual and reveals the power the pesticide industry has on the island."
Maui isn't the only county in the state to be proactive against GMOs. In December, Hawaii County voted to appeal a judge's ruling that a GMO ban passed by county law is superseded by state law.