More than 1,000 Kauai Farmers Speak Out Against Bill 2491

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Lihue, Hawaii  (July 31, 2013) — More than 1,000 farmers and ag supporters gathered at the Kauai Veterans Center today in Lihue to urge Kauai County Council members to vote “no” on Bill 2491, which, if passed, would cripple agriculture on Kauai.
“I am proud of the agriculture community, small business members and island residents who showed up today and testified at the Kauai County Council hearing in opposition to Bill 2491,” said Kirby Kester, president-elect of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association.
“I believe the council now has a clear view of how this bill is not good for our community, our farmers or our economy, as well as the lack of sound scientific evidence to support it.”

Submitted by The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association,  a membership organization that supports the growth and development of the seed industry, agriculture and agricultural sciences in Hawaii.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. What a complete joke, you seriously publish this crap??? You do realize that the The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association is made up completely of Biotech Supporters??? Where is the unbiased opinion, objective debate, and FACTS that support this "story"??

    This is definitely a good way to seriously alienate the members of your community, and show the true colors of The Hawaii Reporter.

  2. Bill 2491 is a "right to know" bill. people on Kauai as well as residents thru-out the state have a right to know what pesticides are used in large quantities and what experimental pesticides are or will be used.this Bill 2491 is supposed to be directed at large commercial agri-ops that spray with huge amounts of Restricted Use Pesticides (RUP). I googled "Bill 2491 agriculture" and got some useful stuff. it looks like corporate GMO industries are behind the strong opposition to this Bill.along with small farmers.do these small farmers eat GMO produce with RUP'S? probably.I think that getting the government involved to try to regulate private farming is not the way to go.it never ends up good.voluntary transparency,truthful information from corporate GMO industries and open dialogue between farmers and consumers are the only way to solve this.we do not need anymore EIS or EPA.

  3. There are not 1000 farmers on Kauai! There were 1000 people who showed up to support or oppose the bill.

  4. Shame on The Hawaii Reporter for publishing this CRAP! I was there and the only people supporting the bill work for seed companies. Many true farmers of the island testified in support of Bill 2491! This is clearly an unreliable news source!

  5. I haven't decided about GMO boad or good yet.
    Monsanto Company has GMO farms in Kaunakai. DOH penalized Monsanto for causing or permitting visible fugitive dust to become airborne without taking reasonable precautions. Monsanto operates seed corn farms, and the violations were investigated after dust complaints were received by the DOH. A penalty of $3,400 has been issued, and Monsanto has requested a hearing on this case.
    Look for Molokai at:, https://oeqc.doh.hawaii.gov/default.aspx

  6. Did you not check ANY of the facts on this article? Really? – There were about 1000 – 1500 people TOTAL at the hearing, as reported by most other 'real' news sources. about half of them were biotech workers, PAID to be there for the day, bussed in, flown in from other islands, fed for the day and given free t-shirts. Many were told if they did not come, did not wear the shirts and did not speak, they would not get paid for the day… they were also told that the chemical biotech companies would fire them all if the bill passes. This is totally not true, bill 2491 is about disclosure, our right to know what is being sprayed. The people living near the GMO fields are sick, their pets and animals are sick, the pesticide drift has polluted their communities, the water and even the drinking water at schools.

    If you guys are just going to print 'anything' that comes to you… you have totally destroyed your reputation as a reliable news source. CHECK FACTS before publishing an article – otherwise you are just a mouthpiece for corporate PR agenda, and will lose readers. Look who submitted the article: HCIA – HCIA is an organization of chemical biotech companies in Hawaii – Monsanto, DOW, Pioneer, Syngenta, BASF etc… NOT farmers! There were MANY 'REAL' farmers at the hearing in support of the bill. But… those are facts… something Hawaii Reporter is obviously not interested in.

    • "…the water and even the drinking water at schools. "
      I hope someone investigates this further to determine if there's validity in this. The reason is the DOE's ranking schools states ONLY 1 Kauai school recieved recognition. The rest "Need Improvement" For more info, go to: https://www.hawaiipublicschools.org/DOE%20Forms/St…

      I'm not any of the previous 2 "Guests"

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