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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0883.011 2006-2008 Jan 08 08 08:09a SeaPics.corn 808-329-6659 P.1 NEW OFFEE FAR MEW; 2008 JON 8 AM 8 10 *ASSOCIATION .'67a_ LISfi. ,r; e~xcnoco r, vier or~oa/~~Nr: t x1~V ~1f:.^, January 6, 2008 Bob Jacobson, Chair Environmental Mgt. Committee and Committee Members Hawaii County Council counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.u:; Fax 90-8912 Honored Council Members: The Kona Coffee Farmers Association (KCFA) thanks you for hearing Resolution 463-08 on genetically modified coffee, and urges you to pass this Resolution. Below are some key points, and attached are the KCFA GMO Position Statement and Rationale. **If GMO coffee were to he grown in Hawaii County, there will be cross- pollination and corimmination of our valuable heirloom crop. The coffee-growing industry is one of Hawaii's most successful, and needs this protection. **As was demonstrated by the rice industry, GMO field trials can cause pervasive contamination. By way of dramatic example, in August of 2006 it came to the attention of the USDA and to rice growers in six states, mos rJy in Arkansas and Missouri, that conventional long grain rice had been contaminated with a GMO variety, LLRICE601. The rice farmers have lost their export markets in Japan and Fauope. Rice futures have plummeted, creating class action lawsuits pending against Bayer Crop Science, the patent holder. The California Rice Commission voted on March IS, 2007, to put in place a moratorium on field trials of GMO rice in California. 7'h is move was intended to protect California's valuable rice crop. **As demonstrated by the rice example, field trials can cause pervasive contamination. If Hawaiian coffee:, become contaminated with GMO genes, they would not continue to be viewed as specialty coffees on the world market and would not continue to command premium prices. (SCAA Position on GMO coffees) **Japanese and European authorities are well aware that when GMO field trials occur in a region, GMO contamination is highly likely. Feld trials in Hawaii County would create the perception of ON40 contamination and, before export to Japan and Europe, Hawaiian coffees would need to be tested for GMO genes. *In February 2007, John Stiles of Integrated Coffee Technologies, testified that he has GMO cuffec trees read,-or field trials in Hawaii in 12 to 18 months. This information, and the fact that HDOA has given no assurance that there will not be field trials of GMO coffee in Hawaii County, gives urgency to the need for enacting protection We appreciate your support for Beg Island agriculture. Please pass Resolution 463-08. Sincerely yours pig` ltY"4V/•'! Kenneth Sheppard President - Kona Coffee Farmers Association loan. No. V o n R Ref. Dafe ef. Tot _ JN 13 2M Jan 08 08 08,09a SeaPics,com 808-329-6659 p2 gCO N A COF17EE 1-ARMERS assoristtort POSITION ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED COFFEE STOCK WHEREAS, coffee has been grown continuously in the districts of North and South Kona for over one hundred and seventy years and is acknowledged to be one of the highest quality coffees in the world smd the " Guatemalan" cultivar, also referred to as Kona typica, is the predominant variety grown; WHEREAS, the close to two century-long heritage of Kona coffee has produced a unified community uniquely rich in history and culture unlike anywhere in the world; and WHEREAS, Kona Coffee today provides an enormous economic contribution to the County of Hawaii and the State of Hawaii, generating approximate yields of 3 million pounds of green coffee annually with an estimated income at the farm gate in excess of fifteen million dollars, and a much hipiier vat u~ A ; wholesale and retail levels, supplemented by an increasi;,g amour t ^:r WHEREAS, the high farm gate value enjoyed by Kona coffee growers and the expwidiu~- "niclie u:.u:ci" established by the Kona coffee industry merits thoughtful, respectful, and protective attcnrion f- responsible federal and state agencies, and private entrepreneurial interests involved in the development of biotechnology; and WHEREAS, although coffee is primarily self pollinated, since it may be cross pollinated approximaceiy 10% of the time, non-genetically modified coffee in neighboring orchards could bcccrn,c ;x+i'inax:i genetically modified (GM) pollen; WHEREAS , organic coffee is an expanding high value "niche" crop within the Komi Coffee industo, and organic coffee must contain no trace of GM interference and organic coffee farmers would not be a{fie to prove non-contamination from GM plantings in the region except at high cost for special DNA tests; and WHEREAS, the Specialty Coffee Association of America has stated that a genetically modified coffee is not consistent with their definition of quality; and ,e:ayed acceptance or non-acceptance of aeneticaily modified coffee and sorr,e of i-er c :;rnpean Union nations, as well as the fact that several states of the United Stat?s are r, , ..n, .1J Jan 08 08 08:09a SeaPics,corn 808-329-6659 n.3 GMO Position (page 2) WHEREAS, while it is recognized that the Kona Coffee Farmers Association has no regulatory auth 19ty nor scientific competence to regulate the release and development of GM crops, the KCFA may legitimately respond to the concerns of farmers and others with a stake in the future of Kona's gounmul coffee industry, and may further express such concerns to those agencies and institutions responsible for the development, permitting, oversight and regulation of GM crops. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE KONA COFFEE FARMERS ASSOCIATION, liar the Kona Coffee Farmers Association opposes the introduction of genetically modified coffee pi,.nm the state of Hawaii and requests the following: I_ A moratorium on the release of genetically modified coffee plants into the state of iiawaii until a regulatory regime has been adopted that includes extensive evaluation of genetic con;:unira^ pollen drift and other environmental consequences and secondary ecological effects. 2. A statute, regulation, and/or rule that liability for any external costs to individuals and the environment caused by physical spillover effects, such as genetic contamination from pollen drift must be borne b} the growers, manufacturers and distributors of genetically engineered plants. 3. In conjunction with the establishment of an adequate regulatory regime as outlined i n item (I ) abo vc, a requirement that genetically modified plantings to be explicitly labeled as such, and neighboring properties notified--the costs of such labeling and notification to be borne by the owner or lessee of the planted land. 4. A requirement that any coffee produced from genetically modified plants to be explicitly labeled .l; such at every stage of its production through to sale to provide adequate information to pr; •co~sOr:, a,;.' consumers--the costs of such labeling and verification to be borne by the growers and ;processors of the genetically modified coffee. Ken Sheppard - President January 2007 RATIONALE BEHIND OUR POSITION Will GM Coffee grown in Hawaii affect Kona orchards? Yes, here's wvhv..- • The APHIS database (publicly available on the web) lists three projects of tescnK t'ti. A t;-xsc, ri nlamc g, I . h..b...u ui ere d1.stmyedm Decem[xr _Utx1- Icufay Cl-AFI<doec nn[ll;lve `I, U.. In auc ti Oil tJ tIhCzC. tilei2 rill ^s:-.~nrn: a:: iao rtnr.a by lntaarains t'rtrPr':': ~6nn3noi.^c :::'1:: 14a1 rtn nrt a to h: • Dr Bittenbender of UH reported to the HCA "if the current coffee genetic engineering program on nernai c,& resistance advances to field testing then CfAHR and for HARC may request a permit to test in a nematode -la 'fL Kona coffee industry does not need to be consulted or notified when these f id I Z1 %7 1 . and they too have no strueteae in place to - - Jan 08 08 08:09a SeaPics,corn 808-329-6659 p.4/ • Cross-pollination can take place between GM crops and non-GM. Although coffee is considered self fertile, it does in fact cross-pollinate. The research on the subject lists studies with percentages from 3 to 93`,0. Dr Birlenbender uses a figure of between 9-16%. • How far does cross-pollination occur? No one knows for certain. When they did the papaya experiments they used a safety zone of a quarter of a mile. Yet Kona bees (Kona Queen Bee) have a range of 2 miles minimum up to 8 miles. • If cross-pollination occurs, the crop will have a GM element. If the farmer uses those beans to grow rim trees, he will be growing a GM hybrid. Even if only the rootstock is GM (with grafted scions of non-GM coffee), if neglected, it could grow from the rootstock portion to become a pollinator. And the crop proda::ed from GM rootstock grafted with rton-GM-coffee would be considered a GM crop. What will happen to the organic farms - how will they prove no GM contamination in order to keep their organic certification. How will non-organic farms know if neighboring orchards contain GM snack that may be cross-pollinating with their orchard. CONCIA SION: Yes it WI LL affect our orchards - no-one can yet predict with accuracy to e'f at degtec. Bu: it any is planted in Hawaii Inland. a GM element will have been introduced which we will not be able to eliminate If any is planted in Hawaii Statc there are no safeguards or agricultural inspections in place io stop plants. SeLds. c. bees mtrchrw between the islands. This becomes even more dangerous with the a6ent of the SuperFe,t} allm, r ease of travel for bees and large consignments of plants. Can a GM Kona Coffee be marketed like normal Kona Coffee? No, here's why. • A large and increasing segment of the market will not purchase GM foods, or foods with a GM history anywhere in its origin. More than 35 countries, including Japan, have laws in place or planned which req.tire the mandatory labeling of food containing GM ingredients, or else laws which restrict the import of CM foods, • The European Parliament has mandated labeling requirements for genetically modified foods, lowerin g the threshold to one-half of one percent and declaring zero tolerance for conventional food ecotaining GAI ingredients. • Major polls conducted by Rutgers University and ABC News both found that 90% of American consumer ; support GM labeling. • Oregon successfully gathered enough signmures to place mandatory labeling of GM food, on the ballot. Campaigners have vowed to place similar measures on the ballot in a dozen states, including Colorado, Washington, and California • The Specialty Coffee Association of America does not consider GM coffee a "specialty coffee" so GM Kona would no longer have that status. • Kona Coffee is considered one of the worlds best coffees and sells for the highest price- It is unlikely that consumers would pay a gourmet price for a GM product. One of our marketing points is our 200 year heritage trees. GM trees would not have that cachet CONCLUSION[ (i M Kona Cut fee will have to he sold at a much reduced price clue to several f:_ctor;. r),, burs r considered a "'oarmet product: hugely diminished world market that will accept it resulting in a.=tut io those markets stiff open to it: strin_enl labeling requirements may make consumers reject it. OVERALL, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association believes that ANY introduction of GM plantings into Hawaii will cause Kona coffees price to fall sharply, and 650 fanners will Iose their ability to maintain their coffee business. This situation will eatist until such time as the worldwide market. accepts GM foods, and Kona coffee farmers cannot afford to be the test case for tl'nis.