The County of Kauai was officially served last Thursday afternoon with a federal lawsuit by three of the island’s largest agricultural companies.
Last week, Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer and Agrigenetics Inc., a company affiliated with Dow AgroSciences, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Honolulu in an attempt to block implementation of County Ordinance 960 (formerly Bill 2491) related to pesticides and genetically modified crops.
In response, the county has begun its process of soliciting pro-bono legal representation — something a number of attorneys promised during the bill’s legislative saga.
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit charge that the county violated the United States and Hawaii constitutions, multiple federal and state laws and the Kauai County Charter in passing Bill 2491.
“Bill 2491 is designed to discriminate against GM seed farming operations on Kauai,” the complaint states. “Bill 2491 was explicitly drafted for the purpose of harming Plaintiffs’ ongoing farming activities.”
The three companies say the ordinance imposes restrictions that are “not rational.”
Read the full, original article: Wanted: Free attorneys
Additional Resources:
- Truth a casualty in Kauai GMO-pesticide debate, Huffington Post
- Fear of pesticides and GMOs may drive out Kauai’s biotech industry, Star Advertiser
- ‘Silent majority’ against Kauai’s anti-GMO Bill 2491 may rescue Kaua’i mayor, Honolulu Civil Beat
