State to request more inspectors for pesticides

The state Department of Agriculture wants to fill several positions in its pesticides branch, including jobs for inspectors that were eliminated because of budget shortfalls.

The department said it will seek funding from the Legislature next year to fill positions statewide.

Officials say they are still determining how many inspector and other positions are involved and the amount to be requested.

Three inspector positions were among eight jobs cut from the pesticides branch in 2009 through attrition and workforce reductions when Linda Lingle was governor. Three or four, including one of the three inspector positions, have since been restored.

"We have been trying to restore those positions," said Russell Koku­bun, chairman of the Department of Agriculture. Although the pesticides branch has been short-staffed, he said, "we were able to maintain our responsibility to protect human health."

The pesticides branch has about 18 to 20 staff members.

Oahu has two inspectors; Hawaii island has two; and Maui and Kauai each have one.

The request for funds will include establishing a new inspector post for Kauai County in response to increased pesticide-related complaints and a proposal — now before the Kauai County Council — that calls for agribusiness operations to disclose information pertaining to pesticide use and farming of genetically modified crops.

The Council will meet today to continue discussions about Bill 2491, which was co-introduced by Councilmen Gary Hooser and Tim Bynum.

The bill’s supporters maintain that the state has failed to adequately deal with complaints about pesticide use and exposure. Koku­bun disagrees and points out that the department has responded to a growing number of pesticide-related complaints in recent years.

BETWEEN 2011 and 2012, pesticide odor complaints from Kauai doubled to 16 from 8, according to figures the department provided.

Of the 16 complaints in 2012, eight involved follow-up inspections with biotech companies, according to pesticides branch chief Thomas K. Ma­tsuda.

Of the 10 complaints on Kauai this year, six involved follow-up inspections with biotech companies. Also among the complaints were small-scale matters, such as objections to a neighbor spraying pesticides near a residence.

The department plans to seek funding for an additional officer to review inspection reports and an information officer to research information requested by the public. Koku­bun said he also wants education and outreach personnel on the neighbor islands. There are two education and outreach personnel on Oahu.

Based on public testimony on Bill 2491, he said, the public needs to better understand the regulatory process tied to pesticides and protection standards.