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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0393.469 2012-2014 Page 1 of 6 C .-,Tu 7K Murashige, Laura From: Lori Nakamura-Higa [lorihiga @yahoo.com] 1013 I:1V 18 Al II: 514 Sent: Monday, November 18, 2013 8:59 AM To: vpoindexter @co.hawaii.hi.us; jyoshimoto @co.hawaii.hi.us; donishi @co.hawaii.hi.us; gilagan @co.hawaii.hi.us; zkern @co.hawaii.hi.us; bford @co.hawaii.hi.us; dkanuha @co.hawaii.hi.us; keoff @co.hawaii.hi.us; mwille @co.hawaii.hi.us; counciltestimony @ co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Please Vote YES on Bill 113, Ban GMOs on Hawaii Island Aloha County Chair, Vice Chair and County Members, My name is Lori Nakamura-Higa, I'm a local wife, mom, daughter, and aunt, and I support Bill 113, to ban the production and cultivation of GMOs on Hawaii Island. GMO will prove to be a threat to your local economy while spreading unwanted contamination to your Non-GMO and organic industry, while damaging the environment — the fertile soil and water, and the health of Hawaii Island citizens. In addition, these GMO poison chemical companies and their organizations will start by infiltrating farming organizations like the local Farm Bureaus and other local farmers and ranchers as they will skillfully market them and offer discounts on their input products enticing these organizations and farmers to side with recommending GMO farming on Hawaii Island. Take GMO papaya for instance; there are many countries that prohibit Hawaii's GMO papaya, the European Union alone comprising of many countries is one of them, and although Japan allows for the importation of GMO papaya, there are hundreds of stores that refuse to sell them as their customers don't want to eat them. Although the GMO papaya creator and the GMO industry will tout that the GMO papaya saved this industry, the volume of papaya sales have never recovered to sales level pre-GMO papaya days. GMO papaya has not saved this industry. The rest of the world regulates GMOs and in many cases have outright banned them. GMOs create an atmosphere of controversy; while Hawaii GMO papayas are labeled for exports to millions of consumers in Japan, they go unlabeled for us consumers here in Hawaii where it is grown! I view this as an act of unfairness and discrimination and will not support such an industry that would treat it's customers with inequity. Instead of voluntarily labeling it as a courtesy, secrecy of the unknown creates the perception that the industry is hiding something and that just influences people to not want to buy or eat them. I go out of my way to not feed or minimize my family's and my exposure to GMOs. Local Dr. Melissa Yee, a health practitioner has testified in GMO labeling hearings at the state level that when removing GMO papaya from two of her patients' diets that their health improved significantly. Comm.No 393. 4169 Ref.To: Pf coliowif Ref.Date NUV I V LU1J 11/18/2013 Page 2 of 6 You have local farmers that will be negatively impacted by the growing of GMOs. As a fact, GMO papayas have proven to contaminate Non-GMO papayas, an unwanted, uncontrolled occurrence, yet no one is held accountable for the loss of these Non-GMO farmers who wish to be known for growing Non-GMO papayas. This also diminishes consumers' choices if this contamination continues without controls. I personally would buy all sorts of foods until I did my own personal research on GMOs. I thought to weigh the plus and minuses and after doing research for two months I totally changed the way I buy foods. Because of GMOs I now buy a lot of local organic, including buying Non-GMO papaya from Molokai. I love your Big Island Bees, Organic Hawaiian Honey, Wililaiki Blossom. If you allow this GMO industry to flourish, you will compromise many of the local farming entities, especially the organic ones you currently have. The organic bee industry could possibly loose their accreditation if their bees pollinate on GMO crops (because GMOs are NOT allowed in USDA certified organics) causing yet another form of uncontrolled contamination. This can ruin local farmers' livelihood and reduce the number of unique Hawaii Island products for exports. The introduction of CMOs will not add to biodiversity & sustainability in agriculture on Hawaii Island, it will do the exact opposite at a cost to the local farmers you currently have. Who will they go to in order to address the problems that they will inherit if you allow the cultivation & production of GMOs on Hawaii Island? Can they count on you to help them when these problems arise? The question you should be asking yourselves is, if you permit the growing of CMOs, how will you address these problems that will inevitably come about as you will then be revisiting these GMO issues in future county council hearings, except it would be'- how are you going to tackle the contamination problems and the collateral damages that the precarious growing of GMOs will cause? We already on the other islands are dealing with so many more issues because of the growing of experimental GMO crops, just taking a hard look on the Kauai issues alone is very telling. Or simply do your research and see what is happening in the rest of the world with this GMO problem. I haven't even touch on the health related issues that the growing of GMOs are now manifesting after being grown uncontrolled and deregulated for seventeen years now. Yes this industry is a "deregulated" industry (you heard it from Dr. Gonsalves when he used that exact term, "deregulated" in testifying about the deregulation of the GMO papaya, before you in a committee hearing in September). GMOs are a deregulated industry because the GMO industry does their own biased research and submit those findings to the EPA, FDA, and USDA, which then puts their seal of approval on it trusting the safety to the industry. The EPA, FDA and the USDA do NOT do their own independent studies. The conflicts of interest are beyond reproach at the federal level. Unjust deregulation carried out by 11/18/2013 Page 3 of 6 unjust corrupt authority. Finally, when having to address the Pandora Box of problems that will come about, as it will, then the GMO industry will always come back with placing the blame on someone else, even the farmers that grow their products are to blame when problems arise. We see this in Argentina and the U.S. farm belt as well. Are you willing to take on this new GMO venture, as the monkey will be on your back if you do decide to vote NO on banning the growing of GMOs or GEs? Please just search the Kauai county hearing on Bill 2491 & listen to the testimonies of the parents whose children are born with deformities or have become sickened without answers to why certain illnesses are too commonly occurring. Listen to the doctors, nurses, and the non-paid, non-bias scientists that have specialized in studying the effects of pesticide exposure & GMOs that have testified for disclosure. After you've taken a look at Kauai, then turn to Argentina to see how GMO farming has affected their communities, especially the health of their citizens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b3YfC47t18&feature=player embedde http://www.i-sis.org.uk/argentinasRoundupHumanTragedy.php http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/10/argentina-cancer-cluster- pesticide http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204 162-57608680/argentines-link-health- problems-to-agrochemicals/ If you're still not convinced then also take a look at New Zealand. The correlation always is that the people suffer and the governing bodies do nothing to help their people: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HZOkp2jDwg#t=74 Here are articles regarding GMO wheat and alfalfa contamination, how it affects the U.S. economy & how it is "virtually" certain to contaminate Non-GMO crops: http://www.organicconsumers.org/wheat.cfm http://rt.com/usa/monsanto-wheat-investigation-sabotage-106/ http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2013-10-08/farmer-wants-to-protect-growers- from-gmo-seeds http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/16/usa-alfalfa-gmo- idUSL2NOHCOPM20130916 http://farmfutures.com/story-usda-wont-investigate-gmo-alfalfa-contamination-0- 102569 Doug Gurian-Sherman, Senior Scientist in the Food & Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientist (UCS), his research focuses on agriculture biotechnology and sustainable agriculture. Here is his in-depth research report on GMOs, "Failure to Yield: Evaluation the Performance of Genetically 11/18/2013 Page 4 of 6 Engineered Crops:" http://www.ucsusa.org/food and agriculture/our-failing-food-system/genetic- engineering/failure-to-yield.html Mexico just last month banned the growing of GMO maize in their country because their government claims that GMOs are an "eminent threat" to contaminate their heirloom maize seeds and food sustainability. "Monsanto and Pioneer must stop selling their genetically modified seeds in Mexico." Here are articles regarding unwanted GMO maize contamination and the recent ban in Mexico: http://www.scidev.net/global/gm/news/mexico-confirms-gm-maize- contamination.html http://www.abc.netau/science/articles/2009/02/24/2499950.htm http://www.foodfirst.org/en/GMO+corn+banned+in+Mexico GMO corn now comprise of 88% of the corn grown in the U.S. This is what happens when we place all of our eggs in one basket. How will we feed the world without biodiversity (choices, variety, which maintains a built-in backup plan because of options), holding ourselves and our food supply vulnerable if we solely depend on just one type of food crops that are privately owned by corporations which only offers the sole intent of maximizing profits at any expense because we have allowed them to become so big and out of control. It's a farce that the GMO corn will contribute to feeding the world. It has been out on in the food supply for nearly 18 years, what's the hold up in their promise to the world? The majority of the corn is processed for ethanol fuel and feeding livestock, the remainder is processed as high fructose corn syrup, HFC, with studies now out that proves that HFC is the cause of many health issues, including Diabetes and obesity. Here's an article regarding the current problem of Goss disease to GMO corn crops now plaguing the corn belt of the U.S.: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/01/science/earth/a-disease-cuts-corn- yields.html? r=2& Finally, you are not alone in your quest to seek a ban as the following have either banned the cultivation and production of GMOs in their counties or are currently seeking to do so. Mendocino County maintains in their GMO banning law — • Measure H protects Mendocino County's farms and wineries and the "clean" reputation of our agricultural products. • Measure H protects the County's fisheries and forests from contamination by GMO salmon or redwood trees. • Measure H protects private property from GMO pollen contamination and safeguards home vegetable gardens. 11/18/2013 Page 5 of 6 • Measure H protects Mendocino County property values. • Measure H protects you and your family from known, and unidentified health risks by providing you the option of buying locally grown foods, free of GMO contamination! http://sustainablepulse.com/2013/08/16/oregon-governor-signs-ban-on-gm- canola-in-wil lamette-valley/#comment-4833 http://www.allaboutfeed.net/Process-Management/Feed-Safety/2013/3/US-GMO- cultivation-banned-in-Washington-State-county-1188114W/ http://Iosangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/10/18/city-councilmen-call-for-gmo-free- zone-in-la/ http://users.humboldt.edu/mswilson/GMO html/ballot.htm http://environmentalcommons.org/measure-h-intro.html Here are listings of countries and or their counties around the world with GMO bans: http://www.gmo-free-regions.org/gmo-free-regions/bans.html http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/338369 http://www.examiner.com/article/russia-bans-gmo-corn-after-french-study-shows- cancer-risks http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2013/0425/Peru-says-no-to-GMO http://www.ticotimes.net/More-news/News-Briefs/Matina-becomes-the-latest- Costa-Rican-municipality-to-ban-GMO-production Friday-November-01-2013 http://www.ticotimes.net/More-news/News-Briefs/San-Jose-bans-genetically- modified-foods Wednesday-February-06-2013/ Here's a listing "Debunking" the so-called 600 studies claiming the safety of GMOs: https://www.facebook.com/notes/gmo-free-usa/debunked-600- independent-studies-show-gmos-are-safe/570956479617501 Here's another article calling out the publication, "Scientific American Disinformation on GMOs:" http://www.i- sis.org.uk/Scientific American Disinformation on GMOs.php Here's an open letter from over 800 World Scientists to ALL governments listing 29 concerns regarding GMOs with their signatories: http://appprecautionaryprinciple.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/isis-open-letter-from- world-scientists-to-all-governments-concerning-genetically-modified-organisms- gmos/ Here's the most recent public declaration of World Scientists that maintains there's NO scientific consensus of the safety of GMOs. This article includes the "Full Statement" and the "List of Signatories:" http://sustainablepulse.com/2013/10/21/global-scientists-issue-gmo-safety- 11/18/2013 Page 6 of 6 warning-breaking-news/#.UopVOdJ2Hpk Just within a couple of weeks the "List of Signatories" have grown from a little 100 to over 200 signatories: http://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2013/european-scientists-ask-for-gmo- research/ Here's an article about how Monsanto's GM corn have failed in Africa: http://digitaljournal.com/article/270101 Here's another article in spite of how Monsanto's GM corn is a proven failure in Africa, how they are forcing many part of Africa to grow it: http://www.gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15133-monsanto-s-failed- gm-maize-pushed-into-rest-of-africa Please I urge you to look at all that are out there when making this decision and choose to preserve Hawaii Island's unique biodiversity and sustainable way of farming and agriculture. Please don't cave into the local industry that supports this way of farming because they are being catered and marketed to with lies by the GMO poison chemical companies. The cultivation and production of GMOs will ruin what you've already deemed to serve and protect which makes Hawaii Island, its products and its people unique to the rest of the world. Please vote YES on Bill 113. Mahalo and kind regards, Lori M. Nakamura-Higa 11/18/2013