Senators Hope Placards At Agriculture Businesses Would Stop Spread Of Invasive Pests
May 24, 2024 Updated May 26, 2024
HONOLULU (Island News) -- We could one day see placards in front of nurseries, farms, and agriculture businesses, much like the state health department's system for eateries.
Some state Senators are currently rewriting a bill that would do just that. It died this past session but they plan to introduce it again next year.
Green, means go inside, it's clean. Yellow for critical violations not yet corrected. Red for stop serving food, this place poses a danger. Would that also work for agriculture businesses? That's what Senate Bill 2559 addressed.
Sen. Mike Gabbard (D) summarized, "It requires the department of Ag to inspect certain establishments at risk of spreading invasive pests."
Gabbard, along with Sens. Jarrett Keohokalole and Lynn DeCoite, introduced it last session. Gabbard has long been dismayed by invasive species in Hawaii.
"Coconut rhinoceros beetles, little fire ants, two-line spittle bugs and of course, coqui frogs and the list goes on. So why is this going on? And why isn't government doing more to put resources to help?" he questioned.
If there's a complaint of a pest infestation, the ag department would inspect the establishment with five days' notice. If the business refuses entry, the department can get a warrant. The inspection report would be public.
Gabbard hopes that will help prevent further spread of invasive species. Say you want to go to the garden store to fix up your yard.
"'Ok, I'm going to go down and buy some potted plants and anthuriums or whatever,'" Gabbard projected, "and they should be able to look on the website and say, 'Oh, wait a minute, they got a red card.'"
All but one of the written testimony supported the bill. The Department of Agriculture opposed it. It said it lacks manpower and resources.
Gabbard said he gets it.
"Up until last year, they're getting 3/10 of 1% of our state budget and they bumped it up, I think to a half of 1%," he stated.
It isn't just about money though. The written testimony from the Department of Agriculture indicated fear of a bias. "...Providing placards only to those who have had a complaint issued against them would be unfair, as it would document that a complaint and at a minimum result with the placement of a green placard and there could then be a negative inference to that business as opposed to one that did not have a placard," the testimony read.
Unlike restaurants, which all need placards, an ag business would only have a placard in response to a complaint. To that, Gabbard says that's why all stakeholders need to sit down and work out the kinks.
It's possible to find a work-around.
House Bill 2619 did pass this session and awaits signature at the governor's office. It addresses some of the problems with SB 2559 - and could theoretically have an administrative rule added to include the placards.
"I'm really excited about the passage of House Bill 2619 this last session. It truly is a historic bill and I'm hopeful the governor will be signing it into law soon," Gabbard enthused. "$19.7 million is going to the Department of Ag just about the problem we were just talking about and it's going to be their job to lead and coordinate the state's invasive pest control and biosecurity efforts."
That bill creates 44 new positions including 22 new plant and quarantine branch inspectors to oversee the plant materials, "which is critical to mitigate the transportation of all these invasive pests," said Gabbard.
He noted it also requires the Department of Ag to post real time updates on its website on pest infestations, the date, the location, the actions performed, the name, even the names of the staff and organizations involved, "so the public knows exactly who to contact the Department of Ag if the problem isn't being addressed," he finished.