Some environmentalists and farmers on Maui appear poised for a conflict on a bill to add more regulations on those using pesticides commercially, including businesses involved in producing genetically modified organisms.
The bill was introduced Friday by County Councilwoman Elle Cochran.
Cochran said the bill is similar to legislation passed in November in Kauai County.
A GMO-related bill was passed earlier this month in Hawaii County.
Maui County Farm Bureau Executive Director Warren Watanabe, whose group opposes the bill, said there are already regulations in place on the Valley Isle to control the use of pesticides.
Watanabe said farmers undergo training and have to be certified to use pesticides.
"We’re not using pesticides indiscriminately," he said. "We follow the label. We are trained."
He said Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa entered into a memorandum of understanding in November with Monsanto involving the use of pesticides.
In Maui County, Monsanto has farms on Molokai and Maui.
Farmers point out the state Health and Agriculture departments are already responsible for enforcing federal and state laws related to pesticide use.
GMO critics say for the most part, farmers are left to enforce the rules themselves, and more regulation is necessary to ensure public safety.
Cochran said the mayor’s agreement doesn’t go far enough in disclosure. "It’s voluntary. The bill would make it mandatory."
She said mandatory disclosure would ensure the public gets more information about farm activities related to the use of pesticides.
"It’s hard to do something when you don’t know what’s in the air and in the food," she said.
Cochran said she wanted the bill to be referred to the Infrastructure and Environmental Management Committee, which she chairs, so she could hold public hearings. However, Council leadership has referred the measure to the Policy and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.
Policy committee Chairman Riki Hokama was unavailable for comment on whether he would hold hearings on Cochran’s bill.
Watanabe, whose farm group has about 200 members in Maui County, said the bill is unfair because it targets only commercial entities whereas recent problems in Honolulu were due to residents misapplying pesticides.
He said the bill would put an additional burden on agriculture by adding on more regulations.
Watanabe said the whole agricultural industry, including ranchers, is worried about the consequences of the bill if it becomes law.
He said the bill could threaten the viability of farming at a time when the population is growing and more improvements are needed to grow more food.
"They’re trying to put limitations on technology," he said. "We need all the modern advances in science. How are we going to progress?"
Cochran’s bill says the intent of the legislation is to collaborate with the state Department of Agriculture to support the enforcement of pesticide uses.
"The impacts on the County of large-scale intensive cultivation and associated agricultural practices should be further evaluated," the bill says. "Information pertaining to the intensive use of pesticides within the County, and the experimentation and growing of genetically modified organisms, is currently withheld from the public. … The people of the County have the right to know the likely potential impacts on their human health and the health of their environment."
Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow, said her group backs the bill because of dust problems from large-scale agriculture.
Bowie said she supports the idea of farm businesses notifying residents in advance about pesticide spraying so that homeowners can bring their animals indoors and shut their windows to avoid possible chemical drift.
"We think there’s some really good things in that bill, and we hope it moves along," she said.
Bowie said her group wants to reduce the amount of dust and smoke from agriculture. "I think this movement is not going to go away."
