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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0728.051 2000-2002 Aloha! Another beautiful day in paradise. Fax 808-262-7145 9/24/02 8:18 AM 1 /2 C~bR.~£ ~ z?9F~ s8F#are3P~+t~a~ •or 1`~#im®ny ref®re the lea€€ C®~ar~#y Ceauncll iR~s®la~#l®n 236-m2s ~raf# ~ belated to a F~esolution Supporting a Moratorium on Planting Genetically engineered Coffee In North & South Kona September 25, 2002 Chair Arakaki and members of the council: My name is Rick Klemm. I am executive director of the Hawaiian Alliance for Responsible Technology & Science (HARTS), an industry trade group whose membership includes companies engaged in agricultural biotechnology in Hawaii. We oppose tll~s a°esola~taora. To the chagrin of some organic farmers, the National Organic Program standards bar them from employing modern biotechnology to improve their crops. Growing modern crops, conventional farmers may expect higher crop yields with less labor and other inputs, better disease and pest resistance, more profits, and consumer benefits such as better quality and appearance, improved nutrition and safety, longer shelf life, and more. Many corn, soybean, and cotton farmers in the U.S. and around the world are already enjoying some of these benefits. Combinedwith modern tillage practices, modern crops are also proving their value for protecting the environment. Modern biotechnology may become a most important tool to improve and customize niche crops and food products so farmers and processors can compete profitably over the long haul. . Although private sector companies are not likely to engage in improving small or niche crops such as coffee and papaya, the implications of this resolution are of concern to them. In brief, here are some of our members' concerns: z. The salient issue here is the moratorium. A moratorium banning federally approved crops and crop products for commercial and research purposes would be an unconstitutional restraint on trade. a. By choice organic farmers operate under the National Organic Program and its restrictions. Under this program, it's the organic farmer's responsibility to to protect his or her crop(s). The program standards are not ante9aded to regulate conventional farmers For example, it is the organic farmer's responsibility to establish buffers or take other measures to protecths or her crop from a neighbor's crop. However, neighborly organic and conventional farmers elsewhere have shown how both can coexist cooperatively and successfully. For example, conventional growers of Bt corn may assist their organic neighbors by planting their refuge fields as buffers next to organic fields. This is neighborliness, not a legal requirement. Communication notconfrontation i.r the ultimate an.+wer to orgarzacand conventzoazal farar~err'concernr. 3. The National Organic Program accounts for organic farmers' inability to protect their crops completely from residues such as pesticide residues andgenetic material from adjacent P. O. Box 1627 • Kailua, Hawaii 96734-8627 ~ ~ f. 5 Aloha! Another beautiful day in paradise. Fax 808-262-7145 9/24/02 8:18 AM 2/2 Page 2 -HARTS Testimony on Resolution 236-02, 9125/02 lands. Such residues are not necessarily a baz to mazketing organic crops and food products under this program. The National Organic Program makes clear that the term "organic" refers to a process standard, not a food standard. The USDA emphasizes this point because, unlike other USDA food labels, the organic label indicates nothing about the safety, nutritional value, or quality of food products. Its only purpose is to indicate the methods by which crops and food products are produced 4. The concern expressed in this resolution appears to have no basis. D'?e are not aware of any existing coffee plants anywhere vi Hawaii produced using modern biotechnology. We have a strong regulatory system in the United States, which is regarded as among the forest in the world. The USDA, FDA, and EPA are not going to allow any crop, whether intended for organic or conventional farming, to be certified for commercial planting or allowed to be used for food products unless they pose no threat to the environment or to human health. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this matter. P. O. Box 1627 ~ I~ailua, Hawaii 96734-8627 .