Alongside other plaintiffs, two of the world's most powerful agrochemical companies, Monsanto and Dow Chemical, filed suit against Maui County in Hawaii on Thursday, less than two weeks after voters there approved a moratorium on the planting and cultivation of genetically-modified crops within the boundaries of their communities.

"This local referendum interferes with and conflicts with long established state and federal laws that support both the safety and lawful cultivation of GMO plants. For this reason, we believe it is invalid and should never become law," said John P. Purcell, Monsanto of Hawaii's vice president of business and technology.

The legal effort to blog the approved initiative came one day after supporters of the GMO planting ban filed a motion of their own with local courts seeking "transparency and proper implementation" of the moratorium approved by the November 4th referendum victory.

Leading up to the referendum vote, Monsanto and other large agricultural interests dumped millions of dollars into the effort to defeat the local initiative. Given the stakes, it is no surprise that the legal challenges came swiftly.

The official complaint filed by Monsanto and the other plaintiffs against Maui County: