Hawaii isle councilwoman revives effort to ban all GMOs

HILO » A Hawaii County councilwoman is introducing a bill to ban all genetically modified crops on Hawaii island, despite new limits already being implemented through a bill passed a month ago.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday that County Councilwoman Brenda Ford is bringing back a bill that was shot down in a committee vote in September.

Ford said it’s worthwhile to bring the measure back to have a discussion of where the county will head on genetically modified crops, but she said she doesn’t expect the bill to pass.

"I don’t think it’s a waste of time," Ford said.

Ford said she will bring the bill back to the Council’s public safety committee next month, after she gets over an illness.

A bill signed in December by Mayor Billy Kenoi restricts the planting of genetically modified crops to enclosed structures, like greenhouses.

The councilwoman who introduced that bill, Margaret Wille, said she thinks Ford’s bill should be discussed even though she isn’t confident about its chances.

Other councilmembers say the county should implement its current plan before taking more action. A proposed committee to study the issue more has already been shot down.

"I think we’re done," Council Chairman J Yoshi­moto said. "We spent a lot of time on testimony. The Council decided as far as the issue itself."

Exempted growers include papaya farmers and Big Island Dairy, which uses transgenic corn for feed.