Protect Communities and Farm Workers from Pesticide Misuse
Please feel free to use the talking points below when submitting your testimony. You can also write something powerful from your experience on why this issue matters to you.
An important resolution that addresses ongoing pesticide violations will be heard before the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the Environment on Monday, March 28, at 1 PM.
Please submit testimony in support of SCR 67/SR 61 (Restricted Use Pesticide Violations Enforcement) by this Sunday, March 27, at 1 PM!
About the Resolution
SCR 67/SR 61 - Restricted Use Pesticide Violations Enforcement
What Does This Resolution Do?
Requests the Department of Agriculture to submit a report on pesticide inspections conducted within the past 5 years and strengthens statewide enforcement of restricted use pesticide violations.
Why Is This Important?
Too often, pesticide violations are considered an acceptable “cost of doing business” by large industrial operations. The state’s current low fine threshold does not create a sense of urgency to change behavior or stop repeat violators. Repeat violators have exposed nearby communities and farmworkers to harmful toxins that threaten their health and the local environment.
Follow-up on pesticide violations isn’t always timely due to a lack of resources and historically unfilled positions at the Department of Agriculture.
Enforcement of Hawaiʻi’s pesticide laws, as well as timely and routine inspections and compliance investigations of potential pesticide misuse, are crucial to protecting public health and the environment. SCR 67/SR 61 will help provide support and guidance on how to better enforce laws and protect our local communities.
Major Recent Pesticide Violations
2021: Oʻahu
In 2021, Monsanto/Bayer pled guilty to 30 environmental crimes related to the use of a pesticide on corn fields in Kunia in 2020. The crimes involved the use of Forfeit 280, a glufosinate ammonium-based product. After using the product in 2020 on corn fields on Oʻahu, Monsanto allowed workers to enter the fields during a six-day ‘restricted-entry interval’ after the product was applied.
2019: Westside of Kauaʻi
The State of Hawaiʻi’s Department of Agribusiness Development Corporation (ADC) was ruled to have polluted waters of West Kauaʻi without a permit since 2015 by a federal judge, violating a federal Clean Water Act. Glyphosate was one of 18 chemicals found by the Department of Health and U.S. Geological Survey. The waters drain into the Pacific Ocean near the popular recreation spots of Kekaha Beach and Barking Sands Beach.
2019: Maui and Molokaʻi
In November 2019, Monsanto/Bayer pled guilty and paid $10 million as part of a plea agreement with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for illegally using the banned pesticide Penncap-M on Maui and Molokaʻi. Exposure to this cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticide has been linked to impaired neurological development in the fetus and in infants, chronic fatigue syndrome, and Parkinson's disease.
2018: Kauaʻi
In 2018, a commercial pesticide applicator was fined $168,535 for misusing different restricted-use pesticides on Kauaʻi.
2016 and 2017: Westside of Kauaʻi
In 2016 and 2017, Syngenta failed to adhere to pesticide use instructions and improperly used the now-banned neurotoxin pesticide, chlorpyrifos. This dangerous pesticide caused health issues for exposed farmworkers. Although an investigation by the United States Environmental Protection Agency initially proposed a pesticide fine of $4.9 million, the fine was significantly reduced to just over $500,000.
What Is a Resolution?
Legislators introduce and hold hearings on resolutions alongside bills. Although resolutions don’t become law, they do express the sentiment of the Legislature and may prove vital in moving your issue forward. We have reached the point in session when resolutions are scheduled for hearings.
What You Can Do
Please submit testimony for each of these bills via the Hawaiʻi State Capitol Portal.
Share this call to action on your social media channels and spread the word! There is more power in numbers.
Stay involved and continue to testify this legislative session!
Thank you for standing alongside us to fight for a more just Hawaiʻi.
Together, we can heal Hawaiʻi’s broken food system.
