STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1420

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.C.R. No. 145

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 145 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES, UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES AND UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT HILO TO FORM A TASK FORCE FOR EVALUATING THE FEASIBILITY OF FOREST FARMING PIGS ON THE STATE'S AGRICULTURE LANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a task force, which could determine the feasibility of forest farming pigs on the State's agriculture lands.

The Department of Agriculture, Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Nature Conservancy Hawaii Program submitted comments on this measure. Two concerned individuals opposed the measure. The Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo supported this measure.

     Your Committee finds that forest farmed pigs should be contained within a double walled fence and the task force should focus its feasibility study to islands with a square mileage area greater than 4000. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying forest farmed pigs would be contained within double fenced enclosures to prevent damage to established forests and to prevent the spread of swine brucellosis, pseudo rabies and bovine tuberculosis; and

     (2)  Restricting the study to islands with areas greater than 4000 square miles.

     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 H.C.R. No. 145, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Water & Land in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 145, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

RICHARD P. CREAGAN, Chair