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1~+~1 <~~.D .The ~ ~ ~ ~~W~1`i Count Gruen party ~ Ecology ~ Nonviolence Grassroots Democracy Social .Tustice PO Rox 3220, Kailua-Kona HI 96745 Big Island 32-GKEEN, or 8d0-288-33?7 Over 75 percent of the food we eat on these tropical islands is imported. Since its beginnings in 1992, the Hawaii Green Party has worked to promote sustainable agriculture and food self-reliance in Hawaii. This means we should adopt intelligent farming practices that discourage the use of dangerous pesticides and polluting chemical fertilizers; support small-scale, diversified crop-producing family farms; and end tax policies and other give aways that favor big plantations and corporate farming at the expense of smaller growers. Unfortunately a clique of corporate farmers, agri-businesses, and State and county officials are pushing us in the opposite direction, and actively seeking to build aCobalt- 60 powered irradiation facility on the Big Island, to treat fruit for shipment to the Mainland. Mayor Yamashiro is asking for $2 million dollars of taxpayers' money to either build such a facility, to promote marketing of irradiated fruit, or to subsidize their radiation contractor, Isomedix, Inc. Many small farmers and business people, Native Hawaiians, and concerned citizens testified recently during a marathon 12 1/2 hours session before the Council. They opposed the entire project because of many safety concerns to humans and the environment associated with nuclear fuels and the treatment of food via radiation, potential catastrophic economic costs arising from consumer boycotts in Japan and the U.S., and the fact that the major benefactors are food exporters. The Green Party likewise opposes the irradiation project because it is dangerous and unnecessary. As the Hawaii Organic Association and Maui chapter of the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers state: "Other less toxic, less hazardous and less capital-intensive methods exist for the control of fruit flies and other post-harvest pests that currently limit export of our locally grown fruit." FOOD SAFETY QUESTIONED. The proponents of food irradiation would have you believe that troubling questions about food safety and nutrition are adequately resolved. Not so! A seemly positive report issued by the Federal Drug Administration issued in 1986, cited by pro-irradiation forces, selected only 5 studies (out of 446 irradiation studies) as the basis to conclude that irradiation is safe. Dr. Marcia Van Gernert, a toxicologist who chaired the review, noted recently that, "the studies reviewed in the 1982 memo from the FDA were not adequate by 1982 standards, and are even less adequate by 1993 standards to evaluate the safety of any product, especially a food product such as irradiated foods." Many reputable physicians and scientists have serious doubts about concluding that irradiated food is safe. The Hawaii Medical Association recently expressed reservations about building an irradiation plant on the Big Island. Many question the fact that there have been no long-terrr~lie~~of the .yy n~ rra. FNt~ CAP J~Q, ~Presentert , 73~@e ~'111Y 2 U