HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.199 2012-2014 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura
COUNTY CLERIC
From: Melanie Bondera [mbondera @kohalacenter.org] '�llai
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 10:44 AM ?fn (® g
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Vat, ''"
Subject: Support Bill 79
Aloha Hawaii County Councilmen,
Please vote In Support of Bill 79 for a GMO Free Big Island!!
As a certified organic farmer who has been supporting my family of four since 2001 in
Honaunau, I need you to support this bill to keep my growing environment clean of GMO
contamination.
Despite our HOFA (Hawaii Organic Farmers Association) certification, we experienced GMO
papayas coming up on our farm. Both wind pollination from nearby farms, seed source
contamination, and papaya plants being extremely weedy have led to us finding GMO papayas
on the farm. We know this because we paid to have them tested, as our certification
requires. Then we had to remove them. We continue to have to pay for testing of papayas and
do our own seed saving in order to grow and sell certified organic papayas.
From 2004 to 2008, we fought with our coffee farmers associations to prevent the research and
commercialization of GMO coffee on our island. 100% Kona coffee enjoys a price point that
allows us to support our family and raise our children on just farming in Hawaii. These
specialty markets, especially in Europe and Japan don't tolerate GMO products. We need the
premium we get from our organic certification as well. The County law put in place in 2008
allowed us to continue farming Kona Coffee.
Our family eats the taro we grow on our farm, and for our health and the health of the 'aina, we
did not want GMO contaminated taro. The 2008 law protects our family's food and our
neighbors' cultural traditions.
With GMO corn feed being grown by the 2 dairies on our island, I've stopped growing sweet
corn in our garden. I'm concerned about eating the Ellis Farms sweet corn that we love as it
may now have GMO contamination. These 2 farms could grow a non- GMO variety of feed
corn with no additional cost, and allow the other 5,498 farmers and gardeners to grow
uncontaminated corn.
As we collectively rebuild our local food system of diversified farms growing enough for local
market, allowing trans-national corporations to come into HI county and do their GMO research,
externalizing the costs of the pollution (gmo contamination and heavy chemical load) into our
land, costing our public resources to clean up and thus limiting our local agriculture seems like a
short-sighted and desperate choice.
Choose us, vote for Bill 79, and a clean, healthy local agriculture!
-Melanie Bondera
Kanalani Ohana Farm Comm. No. A71. 199
Honaunau, South Kona, Brenda Ford's District Ref.To: /2/Ps til TG
Ref. Date JUL "a63
5/13/2013