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A week of Occupy Wall Street Maui events kick off today with the establishment of an encampment near the Monsanto offices in Kihei.

A series of marches, rallies and vigils are planned throughout the week as the group expresses their concerns over herbicide use, production of GMO products, and arguments of impacts on small farmers.

An event flyer makes claims of food supply control, government manipulation and environmental poisons.

Monsanto Hawaii Community Affairs Director, Paul Koehler responded to the planned demonstrations saying that while the company respects everyone’s right to voice their opinion, he said, “It’s unfortunate that a number of misleading and factually incorrect statements about Monsanto and genetically engineered crops continue to circulate.”

He said the company recognizes that the topics can be complex and reiterated the company’s commitment to transparency and dialogue.

“We’re happy to have an open, respectful discussion with anyone genuinely interested in learning more about who we are and what we do,” he said.