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[proverbialwisdom]

115. Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer and Agrigenetics Inc. sue county of Kauai, HI.

http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/pro-bono-defense-offered/article_83297e58-8fc1-11e3-acae-0019bb2963f4.html

Pro bono defense offered

Posted: Friday, February 7, 2014 1:30 am
Chris D’Angelo - The Garden Island

LIHUE — A pair of attorneys have followed through on their offer to defend the County of Kauai free of charge in a lawsuit filed last month by three biotech seed companies related to the passing of Ordinance 960.

However, it comes with conditions. And whether the county accepts the offer is yet to be seen.

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Last month, Syngenta, DuPont Pioneer and Agrigenetics Inc., a company affiliated with Dow AgroSciences, filed the complaint in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, which aims to block implementation of the county legislation.

Ordinance 960, according to the complaint “irrationally prohibits Plaintiffs from growing any crop, whether genetically modified or not, within arbitrarily drawn buffer zones inapplicable to other growers, and restricts Plaintiffs’ pesticide use within those buffer zones.”

“The Bill also imposes unwarranted and burdensome disclosure requirements relating to pesticide usage a
nd GM crops that compromise Plaintiffs’ confidential commercial information and unnecessarily exposes Plaintiffs to risks of corporate espionage, vandalism and environmental terrorism,” states the complaint.

Ordinance 960, set to take effect in August, requires Kauai’s largest agricultural entities to disclose their use of pesticides and genetically modified crops, as well as establish buffer zones around sensitive areas.

Posted previously, http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=696757

http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/breaking/20140111_3_companies_sue_to_block_Kauais_new_law_on_GMOs_pesticides.html?id=239768391

3 companies sue to block Kauai's new law on GMOs, pesticides
By Star-Advertiser staff

POSTED: 12:42 p.m. HST, Jan 11, 2014
LAST UPDATED: 12:38 a.m. HST, Jan 12, 2014

Syngenta, Pioneer Hi-Bred and Agrigenetics -- an affiliate of Dow -- have sued to block Kauai County from implementing its new genetically modified organism and pesticide regulation law.

The law, which takes effect in August, imposes greater disclosure requirements on restricted use pesticides and creates buffer zones for crops near schools, homes, and hospitals.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court, contends that the law irrationally prohibits the biotechnology companies from growing any crops — GMO or not — in arbitrarily drawn buffer zones, and restricts the companies' pesticide use within the buffer zones.

The disclosure requirements, the lawsuit argues, expose the companies to risks of "corporate espionage, vandalism and environmental terrorism."

Proponents of the new law decried the lawsuit as "shameful."

"Kauai's ordinance is a sound and well-crafted law. The industry's challenge is without merit, and we will vigorously defend it," said George Kimbrell, senior attorney with the Center for Food Safety.

Earthjustice attorney Paul Achitoff said, "The chemical industry has been using bullying and misinformation all along to try to derail this law. They consider their impacts on the health of Kauai's residents as collateral damage."

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Link from: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_29059.cfm
Related: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024286798