GMO taro bill moves forwardby Rachel Gehrlein - THE GARDEN ISLAND, March 4, 2008Would put moratorium on developing GMO strainsSupporters of a Senate bill aimed to impose a 10-year moratorium on the developing, testing and raising of genetically modified taro are relieved, after waiting for more than a year, that the bill will be heard on March 19.After Senate Bill 958 was first introduced in January 2007 it failed but was carried over to the 2008 legislative session.“We were very stubborn telling them (lawmakers) the bill needs to be heard,” said Chris Kobayashi, a Kaua‘i taro farmer. “The 10-year moratorium is just a time out so things could be explored further.”Jeri DiPietro of GMO Free Kaua‘i agrees.“(The bill) asks for a temporary moratorium, a time out,” DiPietro said.“It is a moment to evaluate and use precaution in a new situation. If only a second look had been given before the Department of Agriculture allowed the importation of the apple snail and let it rage out of control into pest status.”Kobayashi said the idea of GMO taro is scary because on the genetic level, if the taro is modified from the original plant, “we can never bring it back.”“As farmers, we wouldn’t be able to see the difference,” Kobayashi said. “There is a lot of sharing of huli (the starts of taro) between farmers.”Rep. Mina Morita, D-Kapa‘a-North Kaua‘i, said taro is a food crop that has cultural implications that scientists need to be aware of.“The scientists should be responsible to the individual,” Morita said. “If individuals think GMO research is not necessary at this time, and the farmers don’t want to grow it and the consumers don’t want to eat it, who does it benefit?”Wayne Nishijima, associate dean with the University of Hawai‘i’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, said the university signed an agreement with the Royal Order of Kamehameha I a few years ago to not conduct GMO tests on known Hawaiian varieties of taro.But Nishijima said the Hawaiian taro’s susceptibility to various pests, such as Phytophthora colocasiae — a fungus-like organism that invaded American Samoa taro in 1993 — could be solved with genetic engineering.“The current GE project (at UH) is on Chinese taro to develop resistant varieties to Phytophthora blight,” Nishijima said. “No Hawaiian varieties have been genetically engineered, but we have researchers doing traditional breeding to develop Phytophthora resistant cultivars, but it takes time.”But because none of the Hawaiian varieties have Phytophthora resistance, taro from other locales must be used, Nishijima said.Nishijima feels that because UH has already signed a moratorium, there is no need for a law to be passed to create another moratorium.“In my opinion, extending the moratorium to include genetic engineering of non-Hawaiian taro varieties does not follow their argument of infringement of their cultural rights and heritage,” Nishijima said. “What it will do is significantly limit our ability to address current and future problems. If the bill passes, it will put taro in a position to make it vulnerable to the devastation by new invasive species.”In support of SB 958 imposing the moratorium, the Kaua‘i County Council has drafted Resolution 2008-04. The resolution is scheduled to be heard at the council meeting on March 12.“We need as many testimonies as is possible to support SB 958,” DiPietro said in an e-mail. “You need not be a farmer. Consumers have a right to a choice too.”GMO Free Kaua‘i will also hold a rally in support of the SB 958 today from 4 to 6 p.m. at the gateway at Lihu‘e Airport.• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.Mahalo, Posted by: Nini'ane
Comments
please FORWARD IMMEDIATELY to all ohana & hui...
To all who are concerned about the Taro plant species and all who have kuleana
for Haloa Na Ka Lau Kapalili:
Aia ke ola i ka hana. Life is in labor.
Mahalo pumehana for your efforts to malama Haloa and protect kalo. With a
showing of 800 people in support of taro at the Capitol on opening day of
legislature -and- clear determination to educate ourselves & our communities
-and- organized persistent communication with politicians... your actions made
this happen:
THERE WILL BE A HEARING FOR BILL SB958- the 10 Year Moratorium on Genetic
Modification of Taro! This is joyous & hopeful news!
The hearing will be MARCH 19th, in the morning- Kalo needs much solid support!
If can, try to take off work and bear witness at this historic hearing..
He keiki aloha na mea kanu. Beloved children are the plants.
NOW is the time to express your concern and aloha for kalo in writing!
If you ono for poi, make it official and demand protections for kalo and the
taro industry- which will be permanently impacted by the disrespectful &
irresponsible dangers of GMO kalo.
We all still have the hard work of convincing the politicians to PASS the bill
without inappropriate changes, so please...
SEND YOUR LETTER OF TESTIMONY NOW!
TESTIMONY LETTERS NEEDED BY Thursday, MARCH 6! To show your support & mana'o to
key politicians before the hearing is scheduled.
EMAIL TESTIMONY TO NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com
If you miss the March 6th deadline please submit testimony to us no later than
March 15th. We will submit all testimony on time for the hearing at the Capitol
on March 19th.
* Write your own testimony if can, personal testimony has much more importance
when the politicians are reviewing all the letters. Or if way too busy, no
worries, just use the sample letter provided BELOW. Be sure to include your
name & contact information.
* Write testimony on professional/organization letterhead if can and attach to
email as a PDF or doc.
* EMAIL TESTIMONY TO NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com
* Forward this email on and encourage others to write testimony NOW!
You can also print out attached testimony form to pass out for people to write
in their support. Completed forms can be mailed to:
KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance attn. KALO
PO Box 270112 Honolulu, HI 96827
When emailing your letter to NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com please also CC as a letter
to the editor of the newspapers that have not yet fairly nor accurately
reported on this issue. Just copy these emails into the "CC" address line when
you send us your letter:
letters@honoluluadvertiser.com
letters@starbulletin.com
To Organizations/Businesses/Non-Profits: Please submit your testimony with your
letterhead. If you need further assistance or information for drafting or
submitting testimony please contact us- we can help!
Please be aware of your rights: Non-profits ARE legally allowed to endorse
legislation. Non-profits are NOT allowed to endorse political candidates or
spend more than a certain percentage of budget on lobbying efforts. Submitting
testimony on this legislation will NOT compromise your 501-c-3 status. Contact
KAHEA (kahea-alliance@hawaii.rr.com) for more information.
SEE ATTACHMENTS for more background information on the bill SB958, genetic
modification & kalo, and sample testimony form to print out.
Enjoy the 'artestimony' kindly provided by Solomon Enos, also a kalo farmer-
these inspiring images remind us of the 'big picture' of why we must protect
kalo in Hawaii! but no try sell em ah (;
CALL YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS-
Tell them to support SB958 for ALL Varieties of Taro in Hawaii!
In case some politicians try to weaken the purpose of the bill, please make it
clear that: This bill must protect ALL varieties of kalo in Hawaii. Not only
the Hawaiian varieties of kalo. Genetic modification of any variety of the taro
plant species is a danger to the entire species and a danger to the purity of
our Hawaiian varieties.
House Representatives Districts/phones/emails:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/house/members/membersasp
Senators Districts/phones/emails:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/senate/members/members.asp
CONTACT NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com for educational materials & speakers, to
volunteer, or to make a tax deductible donation to this kaloroots movement.
Check www.KAHEA.org for more information- the Haloa page is continually
updated, and soon will feature inspiring examples of testimony from all over
Hawaii!
http://www.kahea.org/gmo/more.php?id=461_0_9_0_C
You can also easily submit your testimony online at KAHEA's Testimony Table:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2699/t/3040/campaignjsp?campai...
Please review www.HawaiiSeed.org for more information on GMOs in Hawaii.
sample TESTIMONY
if can submit to NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com by Thursday, March 6 please! final
deadline is March 15th.
_________________________________________________
Name:
Organizations:
Neighborhood:
Town, Zip Code:
Phone/Email:
TESTIMONY- IN SUPPORT
SB958- 10 Year Moratorium on the Genetic Modification of Taro
Aloha Legislators,
We write to ask that you support the 10 year moratorium on all forms of genetic
modification and patenting of the taro (kalo) plant species. For 1200 years
farmers in Hawai'i have cared for and protected the most varieties of taro on
the planet. In Hawai'i taro is the plant of the people- it is our living
culture and ancient history, native nutrition and ecological tradition. Taro
provides a beloved and unique hypoallergenic food, medicine, sustainable
agriculture and industry for Hawaii. Genetically modifying any variety of taro
is culturally disrespectful and also poses irreversible and irresponsible
dangers to our food, health, environment and economy.
I support sustainable farming & precautionary scientific research that does not
expose the taro species to the disrespect and risks of genetic engineering. I
ask that the legislators actively support farmers/scientists in publicly
accepted and safely advanced methods of protecting taro from land & water
issues and invasive pests & diseases.
Taro is an incomparably sacred and valuable part of our island community. We
join mahi'ai (farmers) of Hawai'i in calling on you and your fellow legislators
to protect all of us and Hawaii's unique culture and resources by passing a law
to provide a 10 year moratorium on the genetic modification and patenting of
all varieties of the taro plant species.
Malama Haloa! Malama Pono,
______________________________________________
Signature/Name
Email Testimony to:NaKahuOHaloa@gmail.com
Or send to: KAHEA: The Hawaiian Environmental Alliance, Attn. KALO
P.O. Box 270112
Honolulu, HI 96827-0112
MALAMA HALOA! MALAMA PONO!