HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.346 2012-2014 Murashige, Laura COUNT `,] rEK
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From: Mitsuko Hayakawa [foodsovereigntynow @gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2013 4:47 PM 2°13
JUN To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us 27 M f:
Subject: Please support Bill 79 to BAN GMO crops
Aloha Hawaii County Council Members,
I am in favor of banning GMO crops. I am a mother of three children and a wife of a farmer
on Oahu. We are concerned about cross- pollination of GMO on our own crops. It may be
trespassing on our own crops and personal gardens. If patented genes cannot be be
prevented from trespassing on our land, it should be banned. A ban is the only way to
protect farmers who do not want to grow GMO crops.
As we have recently seen with the unapproved Roundup Ready wheat in Oregon, GMOs cannot be
contained once they are released in the environment. It is a violation of our right to
grow natural food.
From an economic vantage, it does not make sense to continue growing GMO either.
Countries like Japan and South Korea recently refused to import US grown wheat. Even
though GMO papayas are being exported to Japan, they are not selling well. Hawaii has such
potential to grow our own food and export produce but we should provide food that is
wanted by consumers.
GMO crops are often used along with herbicides, accelerating exposure of toxic chemicals
on our land, water and air. I am also concerned about horizontal gene transfer of these
untested genes into our environment.
How will GMOs affect our health and our delicate eco-system? We simply don't know. If
biotech cannot prove their safety, it is prudent for us to place a moratorium until they
have been proven safe. GMOs should never have been released without an assessment on the
long-term exposure to CMOs on our health and environment. The fact that they have been
around for a couple of decades is not a scientifically sound way to decide that they are
safe.
As a mother I am extremely concerned about the rise in illnesses in our children. We
cannot continue to take risks with their health. Why not use the Precautionary Principle
and keep CMOs in a closed lab until they are proven safe?
Mahalo for considering Bill 79. I believe the decision you make on this matter is an
important one that affects all residents of this State.
Sincerely,
Mitsuko Hayakawa
member of GMO-Free Oahu, GMO-Free USA and The MOM Hui resident of Oahu
.P•114.3440
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