Coffee Quarantine A Go, Chemicals Optional

Flickr: *christopher*

Editor's Note: Read our previous coverage of the coffee berry borer:

• Coffee Beetle Leaves State Seeking Quick Fix
• I Say 'Quarantine,' You Say 'Protective Measures'

Organic farmers now can forego chemicals and still comply with a newly-approved quarantine on Big Island-grown coffee.

The Hawaii Board of Agriculture on Tuesday unanimously approved an emergency quarantine to prevent the world's worst coffee pest from spreading from Kona to the rest of the islands.

But before the vote, the state made clear that permits, required when moving beans from Kona to the rest of the Big Island or from the Big Island to elsewhere in the state for roasting, will allow chemical-free techniques.

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