COM 0882.010 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hawaii County Clerk's Office 25 Aupuni St., Hilo, Hawai'i, 96720 January 23, 2008 To: Hawaii Island County Council Members Re: Res. 462-08: "Supports S. B. 958 S. D. 1 H.D. 1 to impose a Ten-Year Moratorium on Developing, Testing, Propagating, Cultivating, Growing, and Raising Genetically Modified Taro in the State of Hawai'i. (Urges the Hawai'i Sate Legislature to pass S. B. 958 S. D. 1 H.D. 1); and EMC- 11." Honorable Chair and Members of the Hawaii Island County Council, Aloha. My name is Chris Kobayashi, a third generation taro farmer from the island of Kauai. My partner and I farm 10 acres of taro on lands that my family has farmed for over 80 years of which taro has been cultivated for the last 60+ years. 11 years ago, we transitioned our farm from conventional to organic practices. We are not certified organic but remain committed to using organic fertilizers and practices so that we are doing our kuleana to malama 'aina. As farmers, we face many challenges. The weather, whether it is too dry, too wet, too windy and flooding; the lack of steady cool sufficient water; lack of new farmers; lack of land for new startup farmers; diseases and Golden Apple Snails. Right now, the greatest challenge is the threat of GMO taro which already exists in the laboratory of the University of Hawaii and HARC. This is the most urgent and serious threat to taro farmers, the taro industry, to our'aina, and people. The researchers have decided that they can Genetically Engineer taro to be disease resistant. UH- CTAHR, researchers from UH and HARC, DOA, DOH, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation and the Biotech industry, HCIA, all want to force us to accept this technology that we farmers are adamantly saying NO to. If we truly felt that GMO taro would benefit us, we would be asking them to please do this research. But we are saying NO. The risks outweigh the benefits and we do not want our industry jeopardized. The perception of taro and poi has always been one of a healthy food as it was the staple food of the ancient Hawaiians. It is considered to be one of the most hypoallergenic foods especially for people with wheat and other allergies. If there is GMO taro in the field, there will be the perception and the fear that taro and poi in Hawaii is Genetically Engineered and no longer a wholesome food fit for babies and people with food sensitivities and people who choose to eat non GMO food. The research cannot be guaranteed to be safely contained in a lab. Researchers have said that they would need to do field testing. For now, it is supposed to be in the lab. I have been told by Kevin Kelly of UH, that Dr. Susan Miyasaka is no longer doing the research because her funding has run out. What concerns me here is that he claims to have no knowledge of what has happened to her GMO taro plants. We all need to ask questions and find out where are the GMO taro plants. What happened to the GMO taro plants? There needs to be transparent responsibility and accountability by these researchers. If anything detrimental happens because of these plants, they need to be held liable. These GMO taro plants can easily get snuck out of the lab into the fields. Once they are out there, it is visually impossible to tell them from the non GMO plants. Farmers will trade and share hull and plants. Thieves could unknowingly or knowingly steal huli and plant them elsewhere. Floods could movelhem