A TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER that halts Hawai`i County’s registration of farmers growing crops with genetically modified organisms crops is in effect. The TRO also prevents the county from releasing information about the 210 farmers who have registered. Hawai`i Tribune-Herald reports that Third Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura granted the order when an unnamed plaintiff requested it two days after the Wednesday deadline for farmers to comply with the program. The county’s recently enacted law banning GMO crops, with exemptions for farmers already growing them, calls for those farmers to register with the county Department of Research and Development and provide information such as types of crops grown, tax map keys of their farms and locations of GMO crops. The law calls for the information to be kept confidential if releasing it would impede the county’s ability to gather accurate information. According to reporter Tom Callis, Margery Bronster, attorney for the plaintiff, said, “These are farmers who really fear for their plants, for their farms and for their livelihoods.” Bronster said the law fails to provide criteria for the release of information the farmers provide or means for them to keep it confidential if they believe its release would cause them harm. Deputy Corporation Counsel Michael Udovic told Callis the law is valid and within the power of the “county’s concern for the public good.” See hawaiitribune-herald/.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 03:06:51 +0000
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