MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - A United States judge has ruled against a new law that curbs genetically modified (GMO) crops, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The US Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren stated that "the ordinance is pre-empted by state law and is therefore invalid," and blocked Kauai from implementing or enforcing the law, according to the paper.
An ordinance that aimed to stop the proliferation of genetically modified crops was adopted by the island of Kauai last November.
However, many large seed and chemical corporations opposed the ordinance, as it required companies to label the genetically modified foods.
Hawaiian activists argued that the public should be aware of what is in their foods, warning of potential consumer health risks and environmental damage.
At the same time, food and seed companies, such as Dow Chemical Company, Syngenta, DuPont and BASF argued there is no evidence of health problems resulted from GMO foods. Their officials said that the law exceeded the island's authority and would have placed baseless restrictions on farming businesses.
Those who supported the bill said that the issue is far from over and stated they would continue to do everything possible to protect people from pesticides and genetically modified products.
"By denying Kauai's law, the judge undermined efforts to create more transparency and more protections for farmers, workers and families from hazardous pesticides," The Wall Street Journal quoted Paul Towers, spokesman for the Pesticide Action Network, as saying.
In the past few months, environmental activists have urged US companies to label GMO additives on food packages, but many of them have opposed the initiative.
Recently, Monsanto, a US corporation that is the leading producer of genetically engineered seeds and of the herbicide glyphosate, spent more than $11 million to lobby against GMO labeling.
