Monsanto Hawaii Responds to Passage of Maui County Initiative

by John P. Purcell, PhD, Vice President, Monsanto Hawaii Business and Technology Lead

With more than 1,000 local employees living and working in Maui, Molokai and Oahu, we are concerned about the passage of this initiative and the impact it could have on the community and farming in Hawaii.  While we understand that people of Maui County have concerns about GMOs, we are confident in the safety of our products and our practices that have been reviewed and approved by federal and state agencies.

As a longtime community member, we are proud of our operations and of our contributions to the islands.  We believe this referendum is invalid and contrary to long established state and federal laws that support both the safety and lawful testing and planting of GMO plants.  If effective, the referendum will have significant negative consequences for the local economy, Hawaii agriculture and our business on the island.  We are committed to ongoing dialogue as we take steps to ask the court to declare that this initiative is legally flawed and cannot be enforced.  Monsanto and other allied parties will be joining together in this effort.

Monsanto remains firm in our commitment to ongoing dialogue with our neighbors, and we will continue to listen to and talk with the members of our community.

For more information on Monsanto’s operations in Hawaii, please visit www.monsantohawaii.com

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From Dow AgroSciences:

“Dow AgroSciences is confident in the safety of our farming operations on Maui County and the safety of our products that have been reviewed and approved by federal and state agencies. With more than 170 local employees living and working in Molokai and Kauai, we understand the negative impact that this ban would have on the community, the local economy and on agriculture in Hawaii. As a longtime community member, we are proud of our operations and of our contributions to the islands. Dow AgroSciences is committed to an ongoing dialogue concerning these issues. However, we believe that the ban would be illegal, and we intend to protect our legal rights.”