Life in paradise just got a bit tougher – for biotech companies, at least.

Firms such as DuPont Pioneer and BASF have long used the Hawaiian island of Kauai as a testing ground for genetically modified crops and pesticides. But now the island’s County Council has passed a law clamping down on the field tests.

Last week Bill 2491 was passed, introducing strict new regulations. It sets up a study of the health effects of the pesticides, and establishes buffer zones around schools, parks and homes where crops can’t be tested.

Most controversially, the bill also says agricultural companies must disclose which pesticides and genetically modified crops they are testing – information that is usually kept secret for proprietary reasons.


Strong lobbying

Kauai’s action is the latest move to regulate the use of genetically modified crops in the US, where they are grown and eaten widely. By contrast, Europe hardly grows any, because of fierce public opposition.

Public attitudes in the US have so far been much less hardened, says Stephen Morse of the Centre for Environmental Strategy at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. Campaigners have tended to focus mainly on ensuring that food containing genetically modified products is labelled as such.

Similar concerns about transparency underlie the controversy on Kauai. Campaign groups like Pass the Bill and GMO-Free Kauai pushed for restrictions on the testing of genetically modified crops, spurred on by claims that pesticides used in the tests have drifted into inhabited areas and harmed local people.

Unfounded fears?

Although islanders have claimed that the pesticides have caused cancer and other illnesses, there is little evidence to support this.

A recent study by the Hawaii State Department of Health found “no evidence of higher incidence of cancer on the island of Kauai overall or for specific geographic regions of the island, as compared to the state of Hawaii.” And a report by the County of Kauai found that the air did not contain dangerous levels of contaminants.

“We are disappointed in the passage of Bill 2491,” says Josh St Peters, a spokesman for DuPont Pioneer. He says the company obeys all the safety instructions when using pesticides, and that many other businesses on Kauai, from farmers to golf courses, use the same pesticides. “It’s disappointing to see a bill that singles out four companies but ignores other users of the same products.”

A spokesperson for BASF says: “While we respect the diversity of opinions that were broadly shared on this issue, we believe that some activists have created unwarranted and totally unfounded public fears about the seed farms by making intentional misstatements about our production methods.”