cross posted at annoyedomnivore.wordpress.com
A few days ago DuPont Co., Syngenta Ag and Dow Chemical filed a lawsuit against Kauai’s implementation of Bill 2491, or the Pesticide Disclosure Ordinance 960. It’s a reasonable bill and a milestone, and one that could lead other areas infested with GMOs to fight back. It passed 6-1 in October, and was vetoed by Mayor Bernard Carvalho. The Kauai County Council then voted to override the veto 5-2. The Governor of Hawaii, Neil Abercrombie, also opposed the bill. The bill would simply force farmers to disclose pesticide use and regulate farmers who grow GMOs.
Concerns about the intensive use of pesticides on GMOs have been growing for years. Key items of the bill include Restricted Pesticide use disclosures, the use of buffer zones between pesticide applications and sensitive areas such as schools and hospitals, and calls for an Environmental Impact Statement as a prerequisite for the further expansion of the GM seed industry in Kauai. The biotech companies currently own or lease over 12,000 acres of land on Kauai. Over 90 different pesticide formulations are applied over 250 days a year, with roughly 10-40 applications per day. Because seed crops are considered to be a non-food item, seed growers are allowed to use more pesticides. It also allows them to use 90% of the 22 Restricted Use Pesticides, most, if not all of which are banned by the EU.
A section of Bill 2491, The Worker Protection Standard, is probably the most troublesome for Big Ag, as it would clearly force the industry to reveal when and where pesticides are applied, publicly exposing their excessive use. It requires “posting of warning signs in the area where pesticides are to be applied no sooner than twenty-four hours before the scheduled application of any pesticide. Posting of warning signs during and after the application of any pesticide shall conform to the official label of the pesticide.” It then goes on to establish “Good Neighbor Courtesy Notices,” which would require the industry to notify any property owner, beekeeper or any other person occupying property within 1,500 fee of spraying. Mass notifications must be maintained by each individual company (e-mail, text message, phone, etc.) and disseminate the information about what pesticide is being used, the active ingredient of the pesticide, as well as the date, time and field number.
The evidence of harm to the environment and human health, although anecdotal, raises legitimate concerns. According to Sophie Cocke of the Honolulu Civil Beat, “one teacher at Waimea Canyon Middle School reported that many of his fish had mysteriously died one year and those that survived…later gave birth to offspring with gruesome deformities.” She also reported that the same school had been closed twice, in 2006 and 2008, “due to health concerns about what were believed to be chemical oversprays. In two incidents, the school sent a total of more than 20 kids to the emergency room after students and staff complained of dizziness, nausea and trouble breathing. Some students vomited profusely.” The field that was sprayed is just 300 feet from the school. Fifty thousand sea urchins in a nearby bay also died. Although these cases could not be definitively tied to the spraying, the effects of pesticides on human beings should be important enough to warrant investigation.
Councilman Gary Hooser, co-sponsor of Bill 2491, had researched the amount of pesticides used on the island each year. He says that the biotech companies, along with Kauai Coffee Company, are spraying 18 tons of restricted use pesticides on Kauai each year. It’s been noted that this far exceeds the amount sprayed in any other state, and Kauai is one-third the size of Rhode Island. It should also be noted that the Kauai Coffee Company sprays eight times a year compared to the 250 days by Big Ag.
Mark Phillipson, a spokesman for Syngenta and president of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, which represents the state’s biotech companies, has stated that Bill 2491 “is discriminatory and that it unfairly singles out the biotech companies. Here’s the real bottom line – we are willing to do things that are based on good rationale, on science and not on fear and innuendo.” The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association believes the law is legally flawed because it preempts federal and state laws. But attorneys for environmental groups such as Earthjustice, as well as environmental attorneys at the University of Hawaii, disagree, and argue that it will withstand legal scrutiny and are offering their services pro bono in order to fight Big Ag.
There are currently legislative actions and protests on every island. Maui plans to submit a bill that mirrors the Kauai legislation, and which would also cover Molokai where Monsanto is heavily involved. On the big island, Mayor Billy Kenoi signed Bill 113 into law in December that bans biotech companies from growing genetically modified seeds and farmers from harvesting any new GMO crops. Mark Phillipson would have us believe that should these bills stand they would “demonize” the industry, although if you think full disclosure would hurt your reputation, you definitely have something to hide.
A friend of mine lives on one of the islands, and has said that when the Hawaiians get mad they are a force to be reckoned with. A’ole GMOs!
Aloha until 2/4/14, if I make it out alive.
In my constant struggle to provide healthy food that is also good to eat, I created a pizza that’s relatively low-fat and was delicious.
Lamb Pizza with Goat Cheese
3/4 lb ground lamb
2 onions, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbls. fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1 14 oz can organic tomatoes, pureed
6 ounces goat cheese
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until brown
Brown the lamb in the same pan, remove and drain off most of the fat. Saute the onions for about 1/2 hour and remove from pan. Again using the same pan, saute the rosemary and garlic in 1 tbls. olive oil. Add the tomatoes before the garlic browns, turn down the heat and cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon and check for salt. When assembling the pizza, put the sauce on the dough, then the lamb, then the onions, then the pine nuts and top with dollops of goat cheese. I made my own crust, recipe below, but this would be good on pita bread as well.
Pizza Dough
1 1/4 cups white flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 pkg. yeast
Put the yeast into a food processor. Pour tepid water over the top (not more than 110 degrees), stir and let sit for 5 minutes. Pour in the mixed flours and turn on the mixer. Immediately pour in a little more of the water, keeping an eye on it so it’s not too dry or too wet. Process for 30 seconds. Turn the dough out on a floured surface and knead about ten times. Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and let rest in a warm space for 45 minutes. Turn out onto a slightly oiled pizza pan and you’re ready to add the toppings.
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