HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0393.385 2012-2014 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura
From: Chris Manfredi [cmanfredi @kaufarmandranch.com]
Sent: Monday, November 04, 2013 1:44 PM
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Bill 113, draft 3 Testimony in opposition
Attachments: HFBF Testimony Bill 113 Draft 3.pdf
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Aloha,
Please see testimony attached in opposition to Bill 113, draft 3.
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Mahalo,
Christopher A. Manfredi
Vice President
Chairperson; Government Affairs
Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation
Comm. No, 3(13• 385
Ref.To: P/Cour41/
Ref. Date NUV 1 9 2013
11/13/2013
Hawaii Farm Bureau
It P I K A 1" I u %
2343 Rose Street • Honolulu, Hawaii 96819
Phone: (808) 848-2074 • Neighbor-Islands: (800) 482-1272
Fax: (808) 848-1921 • Email: info@hfbf.org
www.hfbf.org
November 4, 2013
Hawaii County Council
Testimony in Opposition to Bill 113 Draft 3
Aloha Chair Yoshimoto and Members of the Committee:
I am Chris Manfredi, Vice President of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation (HFBF) and
Chairperson of its Government Affairs Committee. Organized since 1948, the HFBF is
comprised of 1,950 farm family members statewide, and serves as Hawaii's voice of agriculture
to protect, advocate, and advance the social, economic, and educational interest of our diverse
agricultural community.
HFBF, consistent with its policy, strongly opposes Bill 113 Draft 3. HFBF supports all forms of
agriculture, among them organic and conventional; including the legal and responsible use of
biotechnology and pesticides.
We are saddened and outraged that our members, who toil to produce crops, admirably
advance the goals of sustainability and food security, all the while supporting our local
economy, are publicly attacked. We believe that there is room for all forms of agriculture. We
regret that misinformation and fear mongering has permeated the discourse and dominated
this debate. We oppose that some growers, the crops they choose and the methods they use
are stigmatized by some members of this Council and the media.
While we work year after year to support and advance agriculture throughout the State, and
attract and educate young people about careers in agriculture, this Council, by its actions of
late, has acted to criminalize members of our community; armed with nothing more than
hearsay. Banning technology without scientific evidence is akin to the fear that permeated the
discourse in 1797 when wooden plows were being replaced by iron and later steel, on the
worry that they would poison the soil.
Moreover, the creation of a registry will serve as a tool for criminals that would destroy crops. It
was not long ago, both in 2011 and again this year, when thousands of papaya trees were
destroyed, decimating families and making national news. We wonder if the members of this
Council will assume the role of accessory to these crimes when the registry is ultimately used
for this purpose.
Bill 113 Draft 3 is founded on the premise that through this legislation Hawaii County may be
afforded "...a unique economic opportunity to capture a niche market...". There is no barrier
that prevents Hawaii County from fulfilling this "niche market" today, therefore the premise
is false. What is of immediate concern is placing Hawaii's growers at a competitive
disadvantage to their mainland counterparts, and discouraging new and existing participation
in agriculture, ultimately causing more of our food to be imported. This legislation is
counterproductive to sustainability and food security and places Hawaii's citizens at risk as
recent gains in food security will be eroded.
Hawaii's farmers and ranchers need all the tools available to be successful. Please support
HFBF's position.
We respectfully ask that you oppose Bill 113 Draft 3.
Thank you,
Chris Manfredi