Hawai'ian Activists Forced to Kill GMO Taro Bill

April, 2008

Despite the thousands of people supporting a bill to place a 10-year moratorium on the genetic modification of Hawai'i's most traditional and sacred food source, taro, activists and legislative allies were forced to "kill" the legislation.

While the bill, Hawai'i SB958, passed the Senate, the House Agriculture Committee reduced the moratorium to 5 years and limited the protections to cover only the Hawaiian varieties of taro. Additionally and most significantly, the Committee added language that would have prohibited future moratoriums or regulation by local governments as well as the State itself.

While these so-called "preemption" bills are not necessarily a new strategy to control attempts to curtail the onslaught of genetically modified crops, never before has the language prohibited a State from regulating GMO crops. In essence, the Committee tried to pass a law saying the State Legislature could no longer pass State legislation related to genetically engineered plants.

Community members continue to have concerns about the potential environmental impacts, unknown health consequences, and cultural impacts of genetically modifying the sacred taro plant.