Maui voters passed a ballot initiative last week creating a law to ban the cultivation of genetically modified organisms.
Monsanto Co. and a unit of Dow Chemical Co. sued the Maui county earlier this week to stop the law.
Why the fuss about Maui County?
Maui County may be home to just 160,000 residents, but the moratorium could have effects across the nation.
According to a video put out by The Sustainable Hawaiian Agriculture for the Keiki and the Aina Movement, or SHAKA Movement, if the ban takes place, it will have a ripple effect on the nation:
Maui County is the genetically modified corn seed capital of the world. All its fields are used to grow 80% of it’s BT Corn Seed and then shipped worldwide.
A federal judge, Barry Kurren, said that Maui County may not implement the new law until he can consider arguments in a lawsuit against the measure.
I lived in Maui for 16 years and it is one of the most beautiful places in the World. The residents of the island are pro-active and want the best for their people and their land, and they should be the ones to decide what is good for them. They have voted and they don’t want Monsanto to taint the land. It disgusts me that Big Business think they can bully their way into what they want and disregard what the people want and perhaps they can because they have the money to fight it. It is so sad that the judges and lawmaker are all bought off by the money. It seems we really have our priorities mixed up.