HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.681 2012-2014 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura
From: Eric Weinert[ericdrakeweinert@gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2013 11:09 AM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Against Bill 79
Attachments: EDW second hearing testimony Bill 79.pdf
Testimony attached as pdf
Eric Weinert
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Second Hearing testimony
My Name is Eric Weinert. I am the General Manager for Calavo Growers - Hawaii
Operations. We pack and export papaya fruit for 50 independent growers and
employee 80 persons in our packing plant. Our business alone brings in over $10
million into Hawaii County for salaries, taxes and the purchase of local goods and
services. Do we really want to destroy this industry when less than one percent of
agricultural production in the State of Hawaii is certified organic?
Bill 79 is bad legislation. No amount of amendments can change that. Many of the 28
points in the preamble are factually wrong and are libelous. To associate our papaya
with words like poison, toxins and contamination is slanderous and will stigmatize
Rainbow papaya in the minds of consumers worldwide.
Hawaii Island grows the best papaya in the whole world. It is always on the list of the
top five most nutritious and healthy fruits. Our Rainbow papaya was recently approved
for sale in Japan after 13 years of rigorous review of all the science proving that it is
safe for human consumption and safe for the environment. If there is one shred of
evidence to the contrary, believe me we would all know about it. But there isn't. Our
GMO papaya is safe and healthy.
Far from being a contaminant, the GMO papaya protects the non-GMO trees from the
Papaya Ring Spot Virus. Our company grows some non GMO papaya, but to do that
we need to surround the non-GMO field with a buffer of GMO papaya trees. When
aphids carrying the virus chew the leaves of our buffer plants, their mouth parts are
cleaned and by the time they get to the non-GMO plants they no longer spread the
virus. The same is true for home-owners. GMO papaya decrease the virus pressure,
and when all GMO papayas are outlawed, there will be nothing left to protect the
papaya from the virus and soon backyard papayas will be a thing of the past. Ironic for
the island that made papaya famous.
Respectfully submitted,
Eric Weinert,
General Manager Calavo Growers - Hawaii Operations
Certified Korean Natural Farmer