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Murashige, Laura ;QUNTY CLERK
C UNTY OF HAWAII
From: Gary Baldwin [Gary-EVC @msn.com] MAY , 3
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2013 11:43 AM AN 0 16
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Bill 79 — 4 Ag Hawaii, Inc. Testimony
Attachments: Bill 79 Hawaii County GMO May 2013.pdf
Aloha
Attached please find our written testimony - we are sorry we will not be able to attend
the meeting.
Mahalo for your time and consideration
4 Ag Hawaii
www.4AgHawaii.orq
Comm. No. 'a ?1' S
Ref. To:
Ref. Date MAY
5/13/2013
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I i ,l_tiI l ' • !S I!t(_l[ I',11,, I, ,(?It
Hawaii County Council
Committee on Public Safety & Mass Transit
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - 9:00 a.m.
RE: BILL 79 Relating to the Prohibition of Genetically Modified Organisms
Committee Chair Ford and Members of the Committee:
Hawaii Agriculture is at a critical point of its development. Hawaii has the most fragile
food security in the country - importing about 85% of its food supply and that hasn't
changed in a long time despite the increasing efforts of many to articulate and
implement the "Buy Local, It Matters" campaign or its local variations. Its future requires
all of us to work together to preserve Hawaii's treasured agricultural heritage & culture
and provide a sustainable agriculture industry for future generations.
4 Ag Hawaii supports all methodologies of Hawaii Agriculture traditional; organic;
approved emergent technologies - big or small. We must work together and co-exist
without inflammatory rhetoric for the good of Hawaii Agriculture.
We strongly believe that all types of agriculture should present a positive message to
consumers and not provide detrimental information about the others. Hawaii's Food
Security is already precarious and not to WORK TOGETHER is a perilous strategy for
our Island State. As to GMO we strongly believe that the USDA and FDA have stringent
regulations in place to protect the public as supported by the AMA and others.
4 Ag Hawaii is a non-profit 501[c] [3] corporation established as a public-private
partnership focused on goals that include: promoting the agricultural economic welfare
of Hawaii and its counties; conducting agricultural economic; educational & media
programs, and fostering statewide interest for responsible agricultural economic
development of our islands.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on this matter.