Legislature(2001 - 2002)
04/03/2002 03:40 PM Senate RES
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 353-AGRICULT. PROG.COORDINATOR/ANIMAL FEED
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON announced SB 353 to be up for consideration.
MS. JANEY WINEGAR, staff to Senator Lyda Green, sponsor of SB
353, said that Pete Fellman, staff to Representative John Harris
is very aware of this issue and the bill. She said SB 353
addresses three areas, organic crop inspections, feed labeling
and control of noxious weeds, and that she would see that the
committee received a copy of "Noxious Invasive Plant Management
In Alaska" that was produced by the University of Alaska
Cooperative Extension Service. She said:
These weeds tend to impact our hunting and fishing
grounds, agricultural crops and they're getting more
invasive every year. Several western states have spent
millions and millions of dollars controlling weeds.
They're at a point now that they're very invasive and
becoming very destructive. We're at the crossroads in
Alaska where we can take control of them now with a
little bit of money put into it.
As far as the labeling of animal feed, we are the only
state that doesn't require labeling of what's in animal
feed and we think that we need to do that and come up
to national standards. Another area that we're
addressing is the organic label. Federal labeling laws
require that organic food inspectors may not have a
vested interest or participation in growing or
processing the foods being certified. Either an outside
inspector or staff person will need to be hired to
determine that it is in fact organic foods and has been
grown and processed within Alaska.
This bill speaks to three problems by requiring the
commissioner of [the] Department of Natural Resources
to appoint an agricultural program coordinator to
oversee management of an organic crop labeling program,
adopt animal feed standards and implement this plan
that the University has developed on noxious and
invasive plant management as recommended by and
developed in cooperation with federal, state, local and
private agencies and groups…
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON referred to language on page 1, line 7,
"establish requirements that are compatible with federal law and
the laws of other states" and asked why laws of other states were
included.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHN HARRIS, sponsor of HB 432, a companion bill
to SB 353, responded that there is a publication put out by a
federal organization that coordinated legislation in all states
on this issue and developed model legislation so there is a
uniform standard when it comes to weed control.
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON said he didn't know if he wanted that
requirement. He asked what would happen if a state adopted
something contradictory to what Alaska wants and Alaska had to
abide by their laws.
MR. MICHAEL PURVIANCE, Delta Junction resident, stated support
for SB 353. He said he started farming in Delta a few years ago
on virgin ground and he is already beginning to see invasive
weeds like chickweed. He said if we don't address these problems
now, they will become big problems that would require millions of
dollars to correct. He urged members to adopt this legislation.
MS. MARTA MUELLER, lifelong Alaska resident, said she is a UAF
student and supports SB 353 for the following reasons.
The Agriculture Coordinator Commission will [indisc.]
its development in Alaska. Working with the federally
mandated Organic Food Regulations will help Alaskan
food producers market organic foods, because the
standards consumers can follow will be in place
[indisc.].
Second, enforcing the existing state noxious weed code
and reviewing DNR regulations can help development by
assuring disturbed areas, such as mineral leases,
transportation corridors, [indisc.], public recreation
areas and farms remain weed free…
MR. RIVER BEAN, President, Alaska Organic Association, said the
federal Natural Organic Program would supercede the certifying
organic program in Alaska this year. He added:
While the standards that the federal government has are
not as stringent as the ones that we have for the state
of Alaska, we still would like to see the [indisc.]
natural organic program standards be [indisc.]
regardless.
What SB 353 does is it removes the old organic law from
the [indisc.] book, which are the worst standards in
the nation… It will also adopt a national organic
program that becomes effective, I believe October 22 of
this year. And third, it allows the State of Alaska to
become accredited with the federal government to
certify organic foods and [indisc]. Without passing
this bill, the farmers are going to have to rely on
out-of-state certification and carry their labels on
the organic Alaskan-grown foods - like certified with
standards of California or Washington state. It's
unlikely that any organic farmer in the State of Alaska
would want another state's label on their Alaskan
organic foods.
So, the consumer is left without a choice. If they have
a preference for buying certified organic foods, they
will be forced to buy certified organic foods that are
not grown in this state…
MR. LARRY DE VILBISS, Mat-Su "carrot man," said this bill is
important to his business. Last year he began the process of
transitioning his entire farm to organic, including carrots and
beets, about 1,000 acres outside of Palmer. If they are not able
to continue with the certification process that they started
about five years ago through the Alaska Organic Association, they
can't continue the program or switch to the one from out of
state.
MS. KELLY LANGFORD LADERE, Secretary, Alaska Livestock Producers'
Cooperative, said she also had been President and that she was
Chairperson for the Upper Susitna Water and Soil Conservation
District, a quasi-state agency that functions within DNR, and is
composed of volunteers from within the district covering two
million acres in the Upper Susitna Valley. She also makes her
living as a farmer and a rancher.
Regarding the labeling aspect of this legislation, she said it's
very important for people who have made the investment in
livestock in Alaska that the feedstuffs that come out of a bag
and go into the animals be of a certain standard. In the past
unlabelled feed has come into the state and has contributed
substantially to the noxious weed and invasive plant problems
that are taking place across Alaskan farms, roadsides, railroad
beds, and along rivers. She said, "Accurate labeling will allow
the consumer the option of choosing a higher quality feed that
may be certified as weed-free. She plants about 400 acres of oats
each year and buys only certified weed-free, however even it has
noxious and invasive weeds.
MS. LADERE said that a number of people across the state are
trying to reach this level of organic certification. "It's
expensive; they have to go through multiple years of inspection
of their farm…"
She said that most of the noxious plants that affect livestock in
this state have been introduced. For the first time in 50 years
on one of her farms she is going to have to spray a chemical to
control invasive plants and she is not happy about it.
SENATOR WILKEN moved on line 7 to delete the last six words, "and
the laws of other states". There were no objections and the
amendment was adopted.
SENATOR WILKEN moved to report CSSB 353(RES) from committee with
individual recommendations and the attached fiscal note. There
were no objections and it was so ordered.
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