COM 0883.021 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Testimony Presented before the Hawai'i County Council January 24, 2008 by Susan C. Miyasaka, Professor Department of Tropical Plant & Soil Sciences College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) And CTAHR Interim Hawaii County Administrator University of Hawai'i at Manoa Comm. 883 (Res. 463-08): A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING H.B. 1577 H.D.1 TO TEMPORARILY PROHIBIT THE GROWING OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED COFFEE FOR A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, PERMIT RESEARCH IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SECURE FACILITY To Hawaii County Council: My name is Susan C. Miyasaka. I am a professor and agronomist in CTAHR at UH Manoa. I have 19 years of research and teaching experience in crop sciences at UH, including my research to improve the disease resistance of Chinese taro variety Bun long through genetic engineering (GE). I am providing testimony on my own behalf, but not presenting the official position of CTAHR or UH on this bill. I respectfully oppose Resolution 463-08 and HB 1577, HD1. Invasive species are a constant challenge to Hawai'i's agriculture and environment. The ongoing arrival of new invasive species is unpredictable and can have far-reaching consequences, as is illustrated by the current situation in which indigenous wili wili trees are being decimated by an invasive gall-wasp species. Crop plants like coffee are likewise vulnerable to damage by invasive species. The five-year moratorium on testing, propagating, cultivating, raising, or growing genetically modified coffee proposed in HB 1577, HD1 would limit the ability of Hawai'i's coffee industry to respond to the arrival of new pests or diseases. It would prevent the field tests that are a required part of the process by which a new transgenic cultivar is assessed. Such field testing is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and requires that precautions be taken before, during, and after the test to prevent the escape of the regulated transgenic plant from the test site.