HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 298 Draft 01 1992-1994
COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII
RESOLUTION N0. 298 94
WHEREAS, honeybees are a vital link in the balance of our
ecosystem; and
WHEREAS, the honeybee population in the State of Hawaii is
disease-free and pest-free; and
WHEREAS, the escape of a single renegade bee from the
importation or transshipment of bees through Hawaii may infect our
unscathed bee population; and
WHEREAS, the Honeybee Act of 1922 was designed to prevent
the movement of diseases and parasites (tracheal mite which lives
in the honeybee trachea and the varroa mite which is an external
parasite of the adults and larvae and can also be found crawling
in the hive) harmful to honeybees into the United States; and
WHEREAS, the Honeybee Act was designed to prevent the
movement of undesirable species or subspecies of honeybees such as
the African honeybee into the United States, and also prevent the
introduction of genetically undesirable germ plasm of honeybees
into the United States; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 150A, Section 150A-6 (a) (4),
Hawaii Revised Statutes, all live or dead honeybees, or used bee
equipment that is not certified by the State of Hawaii Department
of Agriculture to be free of pests are prohibited from being
imported into Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, a proposal, to amend the honeybee regulations, was
printed in the Federal Register on February 6, 1990. This
amendment would allow the New Zealand honeybees and semen to be
shipped into the United States, if they were shipped to the United
States nonstop and if they were accompanied by a certificate of
origin issued by the New Zealand Department of Agriculture
Certifying that the honeybees and honeybee semen were of New
Zealand origin; and
WHEREAS, an international demand for our unscathed Hawaiian
Queen bees has created a million dollar industry for three Kona
businesses in Hawaii.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY
OF HAWAII that it supports the original intent of the Honeybee Act
of 1922, and requests that the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) reopen the comment period regarding the
importation of honeybees and honeybee semen from New Zealand.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council encourage the USDA
to exclude Hawaii from any legislation regarding exceptions to the
Honeybee Act of 1922.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council encourage those
people and businesses affiliated with the bee industry to respond
to the amendment 7 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 322, which
would permit the shipments and transshipments of honeybees or
honeybee semen from New Zealand into the United States.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the clerk of the County of
Hawaii is hereby directed to forward copies of this resolution to
the Honorable Daniel K. Inouye, U.S. Senator; the Honorable Patsy
Mink, U.S. Representative; the Honorable Neil Abercrombie, U.S.
Representative; the Honorable Daniel K. Akaka, U.S. Senator; the
Honorable John Waihee, Governor of the State of Hawaii; the
Honorable State Legislators; the Honorable Stephen K. Yamashiro,
Mayor of the County of Hawaii; the State of Hawaii Chairperson of
the Department of Agriculture; the Secretary of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture; Tom Culliney, State Department of
Agriculture entomologist; Walter Patton, owner of Hawaiian Honey
House; Gary Rouse, owner of Kona Queen Company; and Big Island
Queen.
Dated at Hilo, Hawaii, this 16th day of November 1994.
INTRODUCED BY:
Council
COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawaii
Hilo, Hawaii
I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the
vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of
the County of Hawaii on Noverber lb, 1994
ATTEST:
-r~~
CHAIRMAN & PRESIDING OFFICER
r, County of Hawaii
~ ~ AYES ~ NOES ~ ABS ~ EX ~
X
Reference r-1'iSl1/Pf-~zo
RESOLUTION NO. 29~ ~ 94