7 agriculture bills
deferred

Organic farmers on the Big Island
voice fears of contamination
by genetically modified crops

Organic farmers from the neighbor islands testified in support of a series of bills that would place tough regulations on genetically modified crops in Hawaii.

Star-Bulletin Legislature Database Star-Bulletin Legislature Guide (PDF, 1.9 MB) State Legislature: Bills & Hawaii Revised Statutes

Big Island organic farmer Una Greenaway and other farmers said at a hearing last week that they fear contamination of their crops by genetically modified varieties.

"How can I know what plants have been contaminated and with what novel protein or gene if biopharmaceutical corn is being grown within a mile of my property?" asked Greenaway, who raises coffee, macadamia nuts and cacao at her Captain Cook farm.

Farmers said they were looking toward the seven bills before the Senate to provide them with more protection from crop contamination than is currently offered by federal monitoring programs.

One bill would ban growing genetically engineered crops for use in pharmaceutical products. Another would ban planting a genetically modified seed or plant in an open field. Two bills look at liability for any damage caused by genetically modified pollen blown into neighboring fields or injury to a person caused by modified crops.

The state Board of Agriculture testified against all of the bills.

The measures would limit the state's ability to explore new technology, said Agriculture Chairwoman Sandra Lee Kunimoto.

"If you say we cannot move technology forward before you explore every single risk, we will not move forward on any front," she said.

The regulations could also pit different types of farmers against one another, she said.

Loren Mochida, speaking on behalf of the Hawaii Papaya Industry Association, said a transgenetic variety helped save the Big Island's papaya industry in the late 1990s when local crops were devastated by the ringspot virus.

While the bills being discussed pertained primarily to crops developed by for pharmaceutical purposes, Mochida urged the committee to reject the bills.

"Once you start to restricting certain areas, then you will affect the rest of the biotech science industry. That's why I'm here," he said.

After a more than six-hour hearing, all seven of the measures were deferred indefinitely.

Sen. J. Kalani English (D, East Maui-Lanai-Molokai), who had introduced six of the bills -- four on behalf of constituents -- said he had hoped to spark discussion on the subject of genetically modified crops.

The Senate Committee on Energy Environment and International Affairs and Committee on Water, Land and Agriculture will continue to look at the issue and possibly put out a resolution or request an interim committee, he said.

It's not the first time the Legislature has addressed the issue of genetically modified crops.

In 2003, Hawaii lawmakers led the nation in introducing legislation related to agricultural biotechnology. The state was responsible for 25 of the 130 proposals introduced nationwide that year.

Two of the Hawaii proposals passed. One set up a task force to review work force development plans in economic sectors including biotechnology. The other encouraged schools to promote study in areas including biotechnology.