HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0271.735 2012-2014 Council Testimony
From: Yeshuah Kauhane <beethechangehawaii @gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday,June 29, 2013 12:03 AM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Support for Bill 79
I am writing to voice my STRONG support for Bill 79.
My position is based on evidence that GMO crops may endanger our soil, our seed supply, and our health.The evidence
is so compelling that many countries around the world have banned them outright.
The argument for GMO technology is undermined by the threat it presents(e.g. soil sterility, unintended and irreversible
cross pollination, super bugs, and super weeds associated with the chemicals used to support GMO production, etc. ) .
GMO's are not necessary to grow enough food for everyonee, and there are many other methods to organically produce
comparable amounts of food. When you take away the chemical agriculture subsidies associated with GMO production,
and take into account the organic ag penalties, GMO production actually ends up costing more.The papaya farmer that
grows next door to us(literally on the other side of our fence)told me the GMO papaya wasn't growing so good anyway,
but he couldn't afford to grow a more successful crop, let alone organic, of something else, because even with so many
diseased papaya,the subsidies would make it worth it for him to grow it!
Hawaii also has the unique opportunity to present itself as a GMO free haven, making it ideal for seed propagation,
hybrid research, and a source of non-gmo staples, like soybeans and, now, alfalfa. Even tourism could get a boost as
there is a movement across the planet rejecting GMO's.
A vote for bill 79 is a vote for public safety.A vote against it is a vote for private interests and an industry that is
destroying our environment. Please take the position that so many other nations around the world have and ban GMO's.
Thank you,
Yeshuah Kauhane
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