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Home My WebLink AboutRES 593 Draft 01 2012-2014COUNTY OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. STATE OF HAWAII 593 14 A RESOLUTION TO PROMOTE AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY BY NAMING DECEMBER AS "BUY HAWAII ISLAND GRASS FED BEEF MONTH." WHEREAS, according to "Comparison of Muscle Fatty Acid Profiles and Cholesterol Concentrations of Bison, Beef Cattle, Elk, and Chicken." J Anim Sci 80, no. 5 (2002): 1202 -11, grass fed products tend to be much lower in total fat than grain fed products; and WHEREAS, according to that same study, grass fed meat has about the same amount of fat as skinless chicken; and WHEREAS, according to "Comparison of the effects of lean red meat vs lean white meat on serum lipid levels among free - living persons with hypercholesterolemia: a long -term, randomized clinical trial." Arch Intern Med 159(12): 1331 -8., when meat is this lean, it actually lowers LDL cholesterol levels; and WHEREAS, grass fed meat is low in "bad" fat (including saturated fat), it has from two to four times more than grain -fed beef of a type of "good" fat called "omega -3 fatty acids "; and WHEREAS, according to "Dietary supplementation of vitamin E to cattle to improve shelf life and case life of beef for domestic and international markets." Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 -1171, grass fed beef has four times more of the antioxidant vitamin E than grain -fed beef, which has been linked to lowering a person's risk to be afflicted with heart disease and cancer; and WHEREAS, according to "Conjugated linoleic acid content of milk from cows fed different diets." J Dairy Sci 82(10): 2146 -56, grass -fed beef contains an average of three to five times more conjugated linoleic acid than grain -fed beef, which exhibits potent antioxidant activity, and research indicates might be protective against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; and WHEREAS, grass -fed cattle do not require the large quantities of antibiotics that feedlot cattle do; and WHEREAS, the production of corn fed to feedlot cattle is fossil -fuel intensive, as chemical herbicides and fertilizers are derived from fossil fuel; and WHEREAS, according to Cornell University ecology professor David Pimentel, approximately 284 gallons of oil are required to make the fertilizer that is used to grow the corn to feed just one feedlot steer during his short life (14 to 16 months, on average); and WHEREAS, the production of the corn fed to feedlot cattle is heavily subsidized by tax dollars; and WHEREAS, there is both local and world -wide demand for grass fed beef that has not been fed genetically modified feedstock; and WHEREAS, promoting Hawaii Island grass fed beef that has not been fed feedstock containing genetically modified organisms will expand our world -wide export market for Hawaii Island high value grass fed beef; and WHEREAS, perennial pasture land reduces the risk of fire, flooding, pollution -laden runoff, and preserves green open space, which in turn promotes other sectors of the Hawaii Island economy including tourism; and WHEREAS, pastured animals are not forced to live in confinement and endure the miseries of factory farming; and WHEREAS, by buying locally grown food, Hawaii Island residents are preserving green open space, which in turn promotes other sectors of the Hawaii Island economy including tourism; and WHEREAS, by supporting Hawaii Island farmers today, residents are helping to ensure that there will be profitable farms tomorrow, which is a matter of importance for food security and sustainability; and WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Fed Beef Month" would benefit Hawaii Island ranchers through increased sales; and WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Feed Beef Month" is consistent with the County of Hawaii General Plan (2005 as amended), Chapter 2 "Economic ", Section 2.2 "Goals ", subsections (a),(b), and (d) which state: "(a) Provide residents with opportunities to improve their quality of life through economic development that enhances the County's natural and social environments. (b) Economic development and improvement shall be in balance with physical, social, and cultural environments of the island of Hawaii. (c) Provide an economic environment that allows new, expanded, or improved economic opportunities that are compatible with the County's cultural, natural and social environment." 2 WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Feed Beef Month" is consistent with the County of Hawaii General Plan (2005 as amended), Chapter 2 "Economic ", Section 2.3 "Policies ", subsections (a),(p), and (t) which state: "(a) Assist in the expansion of the agricultural industry through the protection of important agricultural lands, development of marketing plans and programs, capital improvements and continued cooperation with appropriate State and Federal agencies. (p) Identify the needs of the business community and take actions that are necessary to improve the business climate. (t) Assist in the promotion of the agriculture industry whose products are recognized as being produced on the island of Hawaii." WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Feed Beef Month" is consistent with the County of Hawaii Agricultural Development Plan (2010), Section III "Food Self - Reliance and Security ", which states: "Local food systems provide farmers with a greater degree of control over the price of their products and consumers with more say over the selection and variety of food they find in stores. By contrast, industrial food systems compromise the market power of farmers and consumers, and provide middlemen distributors with an inordinate amount of control over food variety and price. Industrial food systems inflate the retail price of food products while squeezing the profits of farmers. Any program that brings farmers closer to consumers, such as farmers markets, CSA's, and promotions like the Buy Local, It Matters campaign, will tend to move Hawaii Island closer toward a more robust local food system. "; and WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Feed Beef Month" would be consistent with the Hawaii County Food Self- Sufficiency Baseline 2012 study, to wit "Practice Buy Local in County food purchasing "; and WHEREAS, a "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Feed Beef Month" would be consistent with the Constitution of the State of Hawaii Article 11, Section III, which in pertinent part provides: "The State shall conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self - sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands "; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that the month of December is "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Fed Beef Month." BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that residents and tourists are encouraged to only buy Grass Fed Beef during the month of December. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that restaurants, grocery stores, farmers markets, and roadside stands on the Island of Hawaii are encouraged to promote December as "Buy Hawaii Island Grass Fed Beef Month." 3 BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall forward copies of this resolution the Honorable William P. Kenoi, Mayor, County of Hawaii; the Director of Research and Development; the Executive Director of the Hawaii Island Chapter of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau; the President of the Hawaii Tourism Authority; the Chairperson of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture; the Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; the Chair of the Hawaii State Senate Committee on Agriculture; the Chair of the Hawaii State House Committee on Agriculture; Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce; and the Kona — Kohala Chamber of Commerce. Dated at Kona , Hawai`i, this 19th day of November '2014 INTRODUCED BY: COUNCIL M )IMBER, COUNTY OF HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on November 19, 2014 ATTEST: COUNTY CLERK CHAIRPERSON & PRESIDING OFFICER 0 ROLL CALL VOTE Reference: C_- 1146 /Waived AWESC RESOLUTION NO. 593 14 AYES NOES ABS EX EOFF X FORD X ILAGAN X KANUHA X KERN X ONISHI X POINDEXTER X WILLE X YOSHIMOTO X 8 0 1 0 Reference: C_- 1146 /Waived AWESC RESOLUTION NO. 593 14