Kauai Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto of Anti-Pesticide, GMO Bill

The Kauai County Council voted 5-2 Saturday to override Mayor Bernard Carvalho's veto of a controversial bill that would require large farms to disclose pesticide use and growth of genetically modified crops.

November 16, 2013 | Source: Star Advetiser | by Rosemarie Bernardo

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The Kauai County Council voted 5-2 Saturday to override Mayor Bernard Carvalho’s veto of a controversial bill that would require large farms to disclose pesticide use and growth of genetically modified crops.

The bill now becomes law and will take effect in nine months.

Lawsuits are expected to be filed by biotech companies to challenge the new law.

Attorney Paul Alston, who represents agribusiness Syngeta, said, “There will definitely be a lawsuit.”

He called the process the Council followed to override the mayor’s veto “deeply troubling and suspect.”

Councilmen Mel Rapozo and Ross Kagawa voted no. The newest member of the council, Mason Chock, voted yes, along with Council Chairman Jay Furfaro, and Councilmembers Gary Hooser, Tim Bynum and JoAnn Yuki-mura.

Chock was just appointed Friday to replace former Vice Chairwoman Nadine Nakamura, who resigned Oct. 31 to serve as the county’s managing director.

In a statement after the vote, Carvalho said, “Of course we will honor the Council’s decision and I will continue to work with my departments to determine how we will implement this new law, which is scheduled to take effect in nine months.”

Bill 2491 would require mandatory disclosure of pesticides they use to spray on their fields and genetically modified crops by large agribusinesses. Affected companies are Syngeta, DuPont Pioneer, Dow AgroSciences, BASF as well as Kauai Coffee, the largest coffee grower in the state.