Posted by Pono Kealoha on March 26, 2008 at 6:10pm
RE: Taro debate continuesTaro debate continuesBy Hadley Catalano, Big Island Weekly, March 26, 2008GMO taro moratorium bill heard by legislative committeeWho owns the taro? The question of ownership rests at the core of what has spurred countless struggles, debates and endless governmental hearings. The potential of a genetically manipulated product could result in patented rights. Taro is next in what seems like a continuous game of culture vs. property.Presented before the Rep. Clifton Tsuji's D-3rd (S. Hilo, Puna, Kea..au) House Committee on Agriculture on March 19, Senate Bill 958 SD1 HD1 proposes a 10-year moratorium on growing, developing, testing, propagating, cultivating and raising of genetically modified taro (colocasia esculenta), of all varieties, in the state of Hawai..i until June 30, 2017.According to well-respected kalo farmer Jerry Konanui, the frustration and concerns surfaced a number of years ago when it was discovered that University of Hawai..i College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR) had hybridized and patented three varieties of Hawaiian taro."Hawaiians came out in numbers," Konanui explained. "We went to UH and forced the administration to come to the table."Mahalo: Nini'ane
While the patents were eventually discarded, other questionable practices ignited the conflict over kalo ownership and rights arose after genetically engineered (GE) taro was found, being tested and housed at the university. The question has been pulling at the hearts, minds and wallets of many ever since.For the largely Hawaiian taro farmers in support of the bill, it has never been "an issue about science, academic freedom, economic investment or the price of poi on the grocery shelf," said Jim Cain, a kalo grower, who presented a signed petition of the 40 farms in his home of Waipi..o Valley. "As the language of SB958 states, this is an issue about respecting the cultural integrity of that which is vital to the identity of Hawai'i."Cain said the taro farmers are not fighting for their own possession of the taro but to preserve what has been the backbone, the life source of their ancestors and has stabilized their cultural foundation.In a letter to the Agricultural panel, Cain stated: "Ke Akua owns the taro. Kalo is a gift that has been passed down to us from our ancestors, generation to generation, for thousands of years. We are merely the current caretakers. I get paid for my hard work and to cover the expenses of producing poi, but the kalo does not belong to me. U.S. patenting laws state that if you are able to genetically manipulate one of God's creations, you now own the creation. My spiritual beliefs have a hard time comprehending this. Indigenous people around the world are struggling with this same issue, the Ojibwe protecting the wild rice, the Pueblo protecting the corn, the Inca protecting the potato. They all share the same ancestral ties and values to their life-giving crops as Hawaiians do with kalo. We all share the same disbelief at the utter disrespect for our culture, our heritage, our ancestors."BOTH SIDESIt was standing room only as the attendees at the hearing -- taro farmers, scientists, University of Hawai..i researchers, genetic crop industry representatives and native Hawaiians, some accompanied by small potted taro plants -- carried their testimony into the evening hours. In addition to the 100-plus people who testified in support of the moratorium, 6,000 testimonies were presented by the KAHEA Hawaiian Environmental Alliance and more than 100 were formally submitted in writing. Emily Naeole, represented the Hawai..i County Council, which passed unanimously Resolution 462-08, on Jan. 24, in support of SB958.While testimony was mixed, those in opposition were called to share their thoughts first. Konanui and many others claimed that opponents received their full 15 minutes of testimony while scientists and farmers in support of the moratorium were asked to summarize their testimony after just three minutes.Those who opposed the moratorium claimed the continuation of genetically modified taro research will allow them to explore alternatives to protect the important crop from potentially harmful threats such as insects and diseases that would decrease taro production and devastate the industry.Lisa Gibson, president of the Hawai..i Science and Technology Council, told the Honolulu Advertiser before the hearing that "arguments against such research are based on unsubstantiated fear, and that safe practices reasonably guard against contamination."Biotech stressed the same issue, arguing that contamination between GE and traditional taro is highly unlikely due to propagation standards.Additionally, the Hawai..i Farm Bureau Federation stated that it supports safe coexistence of traditional, organic and genetically modified farming, and fears a ban would deter other genetic crop research."Cloaked under the disguise of protecting taro, these protesters seek to stop genetic engineering . . . we need to question their motives and what is accomplished and for whom," testified Adolph Helm of Dow AgroScience.Konanui responded in his testimony that not only is GE taro an inappropriate alternative to disease prevention, but any GE variety will contaminate all non-GE varieties.Dr. Scot Nelson, an associate specialist in plant pathology at UH Hilo, testified for the moratorium. As a specialist of the various taro leaf blights, rots and nutritional disorders, his opinion carried considerable weight. "Although some of these diseases of taro can be destructive . . . in my opinion they do not pose a threat of extinction to taro and they are not unmanageable. Except in some locations and in some environments in Hawai..i, the diseases can be managed well with acceptable losses. Therefore, GMO technology is not required to manage the diseases now or in the foreseeable future in Hawai..i, in my opinion. It is for this reason that I can, in good conscience, support a moratorium on all GMO taros in Hawaii at this time. I simply do not think GMO technology is needed to manage our existing taro diseases."Eighteenth District Rep. Lyla Berg questioned the biotech industry's lack of support for GM labeling legislation. Berg asked if they feared letting people know their products were modified. "I would expect that Japan would not be happy to know that our papayas are now genetically modified," she said.Dean and director of CTAHR, Andrew Hashimoto, testified: "We (UH) have agreed not to genetically modify taro and there are no current field tests. We stand by it and consistently uphold it."Some have questioned the administration's intentions. A taro farmer from Maui who asked to remain anonymous asked why the university's researchers, for the past 20 years, haven't stepped up to the plate and championed a solution for the apple snail problem, which is responsible for 15-18 percent of annual crop loss."Genetic engineering of taro acts as a Band-Aid that doesn't address the ecosystem issues that cause disease problems for taro in the first place," said the farmer.NOT SETTLING FOR LESSHowever, for Cain, this is just the tip of the iceberg."I keep hearing that we need to get the input of the Hawaiian community on this issue. Read those testimonies -- they come from the Hawaiian community," he said. "This passionate support for the protection of Haloa will never go away because this is our identity, this is ohana. Hawaiians are standing up proud and strong, reconnecting to our culture, speaking our native tongue, proud of our past, confident of our future. We are honoring our kupuna, teaching our children, and understanding our identity. In an effort to move forward in a positive direction, people are going back to their roots, only to find that our very roots are now threatened. I heard people yesterday who oppose SB958 say that they respect the culture, they understand . . . but. If they truly respected, if they truly understood, we would not be having a hearing. They would leave Haloa alone."Fellow Hawaiians and taro farmers agreed. "They're not trying to feed the world, they're trying to make money," testified Hanohano Naehu. "If you one Hawaiian and you think genetic engineering is right, shame on you. . . . If you guys worried about outside interests, I dare you for not pass this bill. 'Cause this is exactly what Hawaiians need for get pissed off enough for come together and take back everything. As Hawaiians, we either going to fade away and our story going to disappear or something like this going to unite all our people."IT WON'T BE THE LAST TIMELast Wednesday's hearing is part of a series of attempts by taro farmers to protect their sacred plant. Two years ago, the Legislature considered, but did not pass, bills that would have limited genetic research and growing of non-Hawaiian varieties of taro. Last year SB958 was introduced, cleared a Senate committee, but was denied a hearing in the House. Rep. Tsuji's refusal to hear the bill sparked moratorium supporters into protest, resulting in a handful of visitations by the House and state Department of Agriculture officials to various taro farms to better understand the situation."The Agriculture Committee must pass out SB958 by April 3rd to make the decking deadline on April 4th (that's the last day for a vote on the floor before conference)," explained Mari Townsend of KAHEA, the Hawaiian Environmental Alliance.However, the taro issue is not at rest for Hawai..i farmers. Aside from SB958, two important bills are still on the table. SB2915 is a Taro Security and Purity Task Force bill passed through the Senate. In the House Agricultural Committee, they agreed to support it by passing it over to the House Finance Committee without a hearing in order to give it enough time to be heard and voted on the floor before the cutoff date, explained a Maui taro farmer present at the O..ahu hearing. However, the Finance Committee has not scheduled it and the allocated amount has been removed.The second, HB3425, is a farm-based apple snail control research measure. The bill passed the House, which removed a vast majority of its funding. However, the Senate Ag and Hawaiian Affairs Committee restored the bill and its funding on Tuesday. Now it has to be heard by the Ways and Means Committee, which, according to the Maui farmer, could be tricky since the committee didn't hear the companion Senate bill earlier in the session. Currently there is no scheduled hearing date.
Comments