Farmers Association
- Impose a moratorium on the release of genetically modified organisms (GMO) into the environment until a regulatory regime has been adopted that includes extensive evaluation of environmental consequences and secondary ecological effects, as well as pre-market safety testing of genetically modified foods and ingredients.
- Liability for any external costs to individuals and the environment caused by physical spillover effects, such as genetic contamination from pollen drift, must be borne by the manufacturers and distributors of genetically engineered products.
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In conjunction with the establishment of an adequate regulatory regime such that the release of some GMOs for use in non-organic agriculture is justified, the resulting products, byproducts, and derivatives of genetic engineering must be explicitly labeled as such at every stage of manufacturing, production, and sale to provide adequate information to growers and consumers. The costs of such labeling and verification must completely be borne by the manufacturers of genetically engineered products.
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U.S. certified organic products as overseen by the National Organic Program rules must remain GMO-free and the products of genetic engineering should continue to be excluded from organic production and handling systems.
HOFA Policy Statement on Genetic Engineering in Agriculture
The Hawaii Organic
Farmers Association believes that the life of the land and a sustainable
economy will both improve without the implementation of genetic
engineering, provided that, more research and education are put forth
for organic, ecologically sustainable land care practices. Therefore, we generally oppose
the use of genetic engineering in agriculture. Our specific directives on the
use of genetically modified organisms are as follows:
Hawaii Organic Farmers Association (HOFA)
P.O. Box 6863, Hilo, HI 96720
Phone: (808) 969-7789 Fax:
(808) 969-7759
Email: hofa@hawaiiorganicfarmers.org
Copyright 2002