Kauai’s county attorney has asked the county council for more money to defend a new law regulating genetically engineered crops and pesticides. The county attorney is seeking $50,000 to pay private attorneys defending it against a federal lawsuit filed by seed companies, The Garden Island newspaper reported. The council in February authorized spending $75,000 on attorneys for the case.
The new law requires the companies to disclose their use of pesticides and genetically modified crops. It also requires them to establish buffer zones around sensitive areas, including schools and hospitals. The companies argue the ordinance is invalid and arbitrarily targets their industry with “burdensome and baseless” restrictions on farming operations by attempting to regulate activities over which counties have no jurisdiction.
Read the full, original article: Kauai needs more cash to defend GMO, pesticide law