GMO taro and coffee crops banned on the island of Hawai'i

November, 2008

Genetically modified taro and coffee crops are now illegal on the island of Hawai'i.

The Hawai'i County Council voted unanimously on November 13, 2008 to ban GMO taro and coffee, overriding the veto of Mayor Harry Kim. Council members voted after hearing more than five hours of testimony which was overwhelmingly in favor of the ban.

"The bill is reversible," said James Weatherford, who has 25 years experience in the agricultural field, "genetic contamination is not reversible." Kona coffee's designation as a specialty crop would be lost if the coffee trees were altered by genetically modified varieties.

Native Hawaiians testified that taro is not seriously threatened by disease or pests. Also, some said they consider themselves to be descendants of taro, which is why they don't want the plant's genes altered.

Earlier this year, Hawai'ian activists were forced to kill a state-wide GMO taro bill, after the House Agriculture Committee added language that would have prohibited future moratoriums or regulation by local governments as well as the State itself. If that state-level bill had passed, the Hawai'i County Council would have been stripped of its authority to regulate genetically modified crops on the Big Island.

In the absence of any compelling need for genetically modified taro or coffee, and in the face of unkown risks from genetic contamination, the Council acted with responsible precaution to protect the environment and health of future generations. Environmental Commons supports the rights of local communities to shape their food systems, exercising democratic control over matters of health, safety, and welfare.

For more information, see:

• Big Island bans GMO coffee and taro crops   (Honolulu Advertiser, 11/14/08)
  
  
• GMO taro, coffee banned   (Hawai'i Tribune-Herald, 11/14/08)
  
  
• Taro Culture and Genetic Engineering   (Hawai'i SEED)
  
  
• Environmental Groups Seek Moratorium on Open-Air Tests in Hawai'i   (2006)
  
  
• An Island Region's Self-rule: Kona Opposes Genetically Engineered Coffee   (2002)