#monsanto hawaii

Now that we know the seed companies’ lawsuit will be heard in federal court early next year, when can you start enforcing the new GMO law?

Proponents of the recently passed GMO Initiative on Maui are seeking intervention in a federal court lawsuit filed by Monsanto Hawaiʻi after a judge granted a request preventing the referendum from taking effect until the full legal merits of the lawsuit are considered.

A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit filed by Monsanto Hawaiʻi against the County of Maui, preventing the recently passed GMO initiative from taking effect until the court considers its legal merits further, company representatives said.

Five Maui residents filed a lawsuit in Second Circuit court on Wednesday, seeking “declaratory relief to assure transparency and the proper implementation,” of the newly passed initiative that places a moratorium on GMO cultivation in Maui County.

Monsanto Hawaiʻi today joined other individuals, groups and businesses including the Maui Farm Bureau and Dow AgroSciences in filing a lawsuit to challenge the measure that would place a moratorium on GMO cultivation in Maui County.

The program is open to public schools serving students at the intermediate, high school, and college grade levels on the islands of Maui, Molokaʻi, and Oʻahu.

“A review of this section reveals … a lack of supporting evidence for claims made, and a disregard for the voluminous findings in mainstream science over the past two decades on the benefits and risks of genetically engineered crops.”

Members of the SHAKA Movement rallied in front of the county building in Wailuku today before delivering a final list of signatures to the County Clerk’s office in support of a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically-engineered organisms or GMOs in Maui County.

A petition seeking a moratorium on the cultivation of genetically-engineered organisms or GMOs in Maui County is thousands of signatures shy of the amount required to be placed on the November ballot.

A total of 9,500 signatures were submitted to the County on Monday as part of a petition calling for the suspension of genetically-engineered operations and practices in Maui County.

Fourteen Hawaiʻi public schools and educational organizations were recently awarded more than $12,000 in grants from the Monsanto Hawaiʻi Science Education Fund.

Monsanto says the support effort is expected to total more than $400,000, and includes: short-term relief of food and water; rebuilding homes of farmers; donating corn seed; and offering employee donation matches to further enhance relief effort.

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, issued a total of $44,800 in grant funds to various county agencies and non-profit groups on Maui, the company announced.

“What an amazing show of Maui speaking out. I was totally blown away by the energy of the massive crowd. For me it was about caring about our community’s health, our right to know what’s in the food we eat…”

A week of Occupy Wall Street Maui events kick off today with the establishment of an encampment near the Monsanto offices in Kihei. Company officials respond to the planned demonstration.

Kihei Charter School will use the grand funding to purchase supplies fro renewable energy experiments and hands-on lessons in physics.

The non-profit Keiki Cupboard will be able to expand to three more schools in the coming year, thanks to a $4,000 donation from Mansanto employees in Kihei on Maui.

Monsanto Hawaii won the money from its parent company for conservation efforts in 2010. It is gifting the money to the Nature Conservancy for watershed protection at Kamakou and Pelekunu.