HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.035 2012-2014 My name is Jason Moniz and I'm here to testify on behalf of the
Hamakua Farm Bureau in strong opposition of Bill 79 . This Bill
if passed will severely impede farmers and livestock producers
on the Island of Hawaii . The lack of access to technological
crop improvements and disease resistant modifications could co pn
spell an end to the ability of a farmer/producer to remain 33,,, zC
economically competitive as crop improvements are made or to-4
recover from a disease outbreak. The availability of genetic :, -<
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modification technology saved the Hawaii' s papaya industry.
Without this technology the industry would not exist today aim 4E
its current level . These modified papayas have been in CD
production for many years with no adverse effect to the papaya
industry, human health or the environment . Other GMO crops have
been in production in Hawaii and elsewhere in the world for many
years without adverse effects .
I'm a veterinarian and I have spent the past 29 years of my
professional career controlling livestock diseases in Hawaii, my
family and I have also operated a commercial beef cattle ranch
for the past 24 years and I am currently the president of the
Hamakua Farm Bureau. I am the fourth generation in my family to
make agriculture my life work, the same as many farmers and
livestock producers who I represent in the farm bureau or who I
am associated with.
With all that I have invested in agriculture the last thing I
would do, or advocate for, would be to risk my life' s work and
that of my neighbor farmers and livestock producers if I thought
GMO' s were a risk to agriculture production, human health or the
environment .
From a professional standpoint, the years of education spent
towards my professional degree required the development of
skills to evaluate scientific research and the training to
evaluate risk versus benefit .
I would hope that whoever authored a Bill with this significant
impact has a similar investment in science and agriculture in
Hawaii .
Although I can and do produce food without the use of
genetically modified feed, my background and understanding of
the biological sciences, agriculture production and veterinary
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medicine provides me with a background to understand that
genetic modification is an advanced biotechnological tool no
different from genetic modifications that occur with cross
breeding and hybridization which have been practiced since the
beginnings of agriculture . In fact you should be well aware
that the mixing and mutation of genetic material in all living
organisms occurs in nature without any manipulation by man.
For the past 10 years I have participated in a very progressive
cooperative of family owned ranches spread across ten Western
States producing natural beef without the use of hormones and
antibiotics, meeting environment enhancing requirements and
meeting high standards of social and animal welfare . I also
produce grass finished beef, again without the use of
antibiotics, hormones and without feeding any grains genetically
modified or not . I am required to keep production for these
markets and the standard beef commodity market that I also
participate in, separate . My separate production practices are
approved by third party certification and not regulated by
draconian laws with penalties that make me a criminal like this
Bill proposes to do.
I usually start my testimony with a thank you for the
opportunity to testify. Frankly I'm pissed that I have to be
here to address this proposed Ordinance. I am sick and tired of
having to defend my life' s work, my family' s wellbeing and my
fellow farmers and rancher' s existence when it continues to get
threatened by the "know better than you fence leaners and
newcomers" . From the sound of this proposed Bill apparently
someone has it all figured out regarding how we should be living
here. I don' t have problems with others having a different
point of view than mine. When you go beyond that and impose
those views on me and others you are threatening our wellbeing.
Acts like that have ignited severe conflicts that take up a lot
of time and money to solve causing ill will rather than
investing that time forming working relationships to jointly
solving issues important to our community.
This bill is so draconian; it leaves no room for compromise .
There is no way the Hamakua Farm Bureau can support this Bill or
any part of it . There is no scientific or practical reason why
both GMO assisted and non GMO assisted agriculture cannot be
practiced in the same environment . It is absolutely absurd,
ridiculous and frankly embarrassing to read the first paragraph
of this bill, as it discredits three science based federal
agencies with thousands of scientists at their helm who
safeguard our health and wellbeing on an ongoing basis .
Given this absurd attack taken on these three agencies I can
only surmise that Councilwoman Willie' s agenda is a self-driven
or misguided mission to impose her or her supporters will on
others for the sake of "we know better than the rest of you" .
For the rest of the council I respectively request that you kill
this Bill and let farmers and livestock producers like myself
get back to our work without worrying about our future .
Thank you,
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D. MONIZ, D.V.M
President, Hamakua Farm Bureau