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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0385.131 2012-2014 Murashige, Laura From: Dennis Gonsalves [dennisgonsal©gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 03, 2013 11:23 AM To: counciltestimony©co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Testimonies against Bills 109 and 113 Attachments: Bull 13_109testimony.docx L::JI 3111113 109testimon y.docx(149... Dear Hawaii County Council: Attached is my testimonies against Bills 109 and 113 Aloha, Dennis Gonsalves 007 rn AS' O W D-< rry c7 7 N � )›' Comm. No. `J85. ' 3' Ref.To: ICI,-111 y'G 1 Ref. Date SL ' 04 11113 Date: September 3, 2013 To: Hawaii County Council From: Dennis Gonsalves 789 Hoolaulea Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Subject: Against County Bills 109 and 113 I am Dennis Gonsalves, retired researcher who formerly directed the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center in Hilo form 2002-2012. I am against Bills 109 and 113 because they would set agriculture on Hawaii Island back, prevent farmers from using approved approaches for farming, block future development and deployment of biotechnology that would really help the agriculture industry, and discourage young scientists from going into agriculture. I oppose Bill 113 • The basis of the bill is to protect Hawaii's Agricultural Heritage and its Ecosytems from Harm from GMOs. There is absolutely no evidence that GMOs have harmed Hawaii's agriculture and ecosystems. In fact, the GMO papaya has been planted for 15 years and there is not a shred of evidence that it has caused harm to Hawaii's agriculture, and ecosystem. In fact, it saved the papaya industry. • Bill 113 criminalizes approved GMOs by saying that they have to be registered and pay a $100 annual fee. A number of my friends grow Rainbow papaya in their yards. Are you going require them to register and pay$100 a year? Do you think that they will even obey that ruling? • Tomato spotted wilt virus is a chronic problem of tomato and lettuce in Hawaii. An excellent scientist of UH (now retired) used conventional breeding by to develop resistance to the virus. Unfortunately, when the tomato was released, strains of the virus in Hawaii over came the resistant. We subsequently enhanced the conventionally bred resistance by genetic engineering. Field trials were recently started on Oahu. Bill 113 would restrict Hawaii Island farmers from using this product should it get commercialized. The virus is commonly found in Lalamilo farm lots. • Huanglongbing or greening disease of citrus was discovered in Florida in 2005 and is now decimating Florida's citrus industry. Experts estimate Florida's citrus industry will be destroyed in 5 years if the disease is not controlled. Greening is caused by a bacteria and is spread by the Asian citrus psyllid insect. The disease was recently found in California and if it comes to Hawaii, it would decimate the commercial and backyard citrus because the psyllid insect is very prevalent in Hawaii. Genetically engineered citrus seems to be the best control and it is being field trialed in Florida. If bill 113 passes, Hawaii Island will not have the option to use GMO citrus that are resistant to greening. This will certainly hurt farmers and HOMEOWNERS. Do you want these people to suffer just because you are against GMOs? gd R • � °51;� � e,p, t ift t k ;+}y 7 4. & s Greening disease on tree and the effect on fruit. • We started research at USDA on developing bacteria resistant and nematode resistant anthurium at the request of the industry. Progress is being made on this research. Bill 113 will stop anthurium growers from benefiting from the fruit of this research. Is that what you want? • Bill 113 essentially bans all use of GMOs that become approved by the US government. It makes Hawaii Island go backward in science. The sad part of this bill is that it limits creativity and creativity is what science is all about. I dare say that bill 113 will stifle young people from taking up agricultural science as a profession. • The current scientists that have been so effectively helping the coffee industry through the use of the fungal control agent, nematode work, and synchronous flowering research are the very scientists that also do GMO research to help Hawaii Island agriculture. They are very good at the nonGMO and GMO work. They know what they are doing. This bill stifles creativity and will certainly affect the work of the current scientists that are working so hard to help Hawaii Island agriculture. I oppose Bill 109 • For the same reasons given above, I appose Bill 109 • Bill 109 says it wants to preserve Hawaii's diversity of crops. USDA at Hilo has an extensive program to preserve tropical fruit and nuts. The curator is one of the best in the US if not the world. You should go and see what they are doing. USDA has other repositories that preserve seeds and clonal material of all the major crops. GMOs are not causing the lack of diversity. • The allegation that GMOs are harming honeybees is absolutely false.