STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1242

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.C.R. No. 137

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 137 entitled:

 

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE TO ESTABLISH THE HAWAII GOOD AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES PROGRAM,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the Department of Agriculture establish the Hawaii Good Agricultural Practices Program.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Farm Bureau, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Tea Hawaii & Company, Counter Culture Food + Ferments, and nineteen individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Agriculture.

 

     Your Committee finds that a Hawaii Good Agricultural Practices Program helps to fulfill the mandate of the Hawaii State Constitution to preserve and protect agricultural resources and will assist small farms to develop science- and risk-based good agricultural practices to reasonably reduce the potential for on-farm food-borne illnesses by providing education and compliance certification programs.  Your Committee further finds that the Program will aid farmers with compliance under the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2011, which authorizes the Food and Drug Administration to set minimum criteria for preventing food-borne illnesses, once Hawaii farmers come under the authority of the Act.

 

     Your Committee also finds that the Department of Agriculture requires funds in order to properly establish the Hawaii Good Agricultural Practices Program.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 137 and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture,

 

 

 

________________________________

RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN, Chair