Printed in the Star Bulletin

Letters to the Editor, Thursday, April 12, 2007

More GMO Oversight Would Be Redundant

I have been in production agriculture in Hawaii and a member of the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation since 1975. Since 2000 I have been the voluntary co-chairman of the Farm Bureau's Environmental Stewardship Committee, which informs and educates member farmers, the community, politicians and policy makers on key issues facing agriculture in Hawaii.

I was disappointed in your April 6 editorial opinion calling for scrutiny of genetically modified crops. It was disingenuous to express such an opinion when the level of governmental regulation of GMO crop plants already exceeds any other farming practice in existence. The editorial opinion piece implied that no such controls exist.

Calling for the governor to assemble a team of officials to "evaluate hazards and establish mitigation" is the equivalent of reinventing the wheel when that oversight is already provided by the Environmental Protection Agency, Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The manipulation of plant genes to obtain desirable varieties was first reported by Gregor Mendel in 1865. This technology, as all technologies, has the potential to be used for good or bad. Ultimately, farmers will respond to what their market demands and if those customers do not want a GMO product, then advancement and implementation will not be adopted.

Making false and misleading statements is not the responsible way to address the issue.

John J. McHugh Jr.
Co-chairman, Environmental Stewardship Committee
Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation