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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.083 2012-2014 Page 1 of 1 Murashige, Laura COUNTY CLERK COUNTY OF HAWAII From: Alan Gottlieb [gottlieb @hawaii.rr.com] Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 9:29 AM 2013 MAY 13 AM 0 08 To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Cc: Chris English; 'Hawaii Cattlemen's Council' Subject: Opposed to Bill 79 Attachments: Bill 79 Hawaii County Anti-GMO May 2013_2.pdf Being Heard Tuesday May 14, 2013 9:00 a.m. Public Safety Committee Comm. No. a 7/. 03 Ref. To: P[p5i47(,,.. Ref. Date Y 1 4 2013 5/13/2013 Hawaii Caftlemen's Council, Inc. P O Box 437199 Karnuela HI 96743 Phone 808; 385 5599 • Fax X808 887-1607 mall: HICattlemens @hawaii.rr.com 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: My name is Chris English, and I am a rancher and the Vice President for the Hawaii Cattlemen's Council. The Hawaii Cattlemen's Council, Inc. (HCC) is the Statewide umbrella organization comprised of the five county level Cattlemen's Associations. Our 130+ member ranchers represent over 60,000 head of beef cows; more than 75% of all the beef cows in the State. Ranchers are the stewards of approximately 25% of the State's total land mass. The Hawaii Cattlemen's Council Strongly Opposes Bill 79 prohibiting Genetically Modified products from being propagated, cultivated, raised or grown on the Island of Hawaii. HCC supports all types of farming & ranching; Natural, organic, conventional and cutting edge (including GMO, or other science advanced forms) and does not try to endorse one over the other. We don't see that the advancement of one, should be at the risk or detriment of the other. In fact, in the beef industry, we believe it is detrimental for all, if one attempts to market their product by saying or implying the other is bad for consumers. We believe we need to support each other and market our own niche with sensitivity. There is no rational science based reason to limit the growing or consumption of GMO products. The Growing and consumption of GMO crops is one of the most regulated industries in the United States, regulated by the FDA, EPA and USDA, despite what this bill mistakenly asserts. With over one trillion servings of biotech foods consumed by the public, there has never been a documented incident of any harm to the health of consumers, despite what you may read on the internet. Genetic engineering has literally saved the Papaya industry in the State of Hawaii, though some may have you believe otherwise. Many Hawaii papaya farmers are already struggling and have recently been subjected to vandalism, possibly by environmental terrorists opposed to GMO papayas, which has cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars. As you may know, over 90% of Hawaii calves are shipped to the Mainland for pasture and feeding. While in Hawaii we have demand for local beef, the past eight years of drought simply does not allow us to keep more cattle here for finishing and consumption. Our industry continues to work on securing favorable water rates for irrigating pasture for grass finishing cattle, but we may also need to rely on growing our own grain and/or silage to supplement the finishing of our cattle. Without reliable, year round grass or feed, we cannot keep cattle here for finishing. If we have to grow corn or other crops for silage, there is a good chance that some of those crops may need to be from GMO seed. In the past, people have tried to grow feed grain in Hawaii, and it simply could not be done affordably, because varieties available would not grow well and economically in the tropics. Grain grows best in the grain belt of the United States. However, with the technology available today there is an excellent chance that a variety could be developed to grow grain economically in our environment as has been done in many other areas in the world. Almost 80% of the beef cattle produced in the State and nearly 100% of the dairy cattle are on the island of Hawaii. Ranchers and dairymen cannot sit by idle while an anti GMO bill like this threatens our families and livestock businesses. We are very interested in finishing more cattle at home, particularly on grass and play our part in contributing to the food sustainability for Hawaii. To do that we cannot always count on grass growth all year long. It works well to have silage or some grain towards the end of the feeding period to supplement along with the grass to put a finish on the cattle. It is also good insurance against drought to have feeds like silage or grain stored away to supplement our cattle during times of drought. We lost nearly all of our dairies in the State as a result of high feed and feed transportation cost. Two innovative dairies remain and have survived on this island by growing a high percentage of their own feed. Without GMO seed available, decreased yield and higher herbicide applications would be required to grow the corn being used for silage being fed to the dairy cattle. Please don't take away the tools everyone else in the country has to sustain their farms and ranches and put Hawaii producers back in an economic tailspin that results in our extinction. Bill 79 states that if a farmer is already growing GMO crops (like rainbow papaya), they are not prohibited from growing the crops but must follow the physical containment protocols of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) facilities. This must be a joke. How could a farmer grow a crop under BSL-3? They could not. Please do not give into the fear-mongers and pseudoscience conspiracy theorists spreading lies on social media. When these conspiracy theorists strongest argument in dispute of rational science from such federal agencies and organizations such as the Food & Drug Administration, The National Academy of Science, the American Medical Association or even our own Hawaii Attorney General is "Monsanto paid them off', I hope you folks can see what farmers and ranchers are having to deal with these day, rather than taking care of our farms and feeding people the most wholesome food in the world. In the words of Mark Lyans, one of the original Anti-GMO activists, now a GMO supporter (and subject to hate mail and death threats similar to the many who do speak up in support of GMO's): "1 think the corttrover.sv oIv/ (1.190.s r•el)resents one of tale grcutesf scic'nce Cutyttnunicution. fnihtres of the Irctst hint- certttu T. :1111110n , 1)0s.cibly billions, of/100/110 hove 00/110 to believe whut is esscntiullt.a c onsl)iruev theorv. gi'ncru111110 10U 1'1111c1 ntisunclerstunclin,r about a whole clos.s of technologies on on tntl>receclented/i :global ,scu1C'. �i?7j"; A\1LSlI-p;1Ii�tV ' „_ 0t'u' 201 o I ill €0 0311 ��113 the lint 'Illtt-Ci3il l?i1 �C\ t1�;t�r\ Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify on this very important issue.