Hawaii to launch digitized Agriculture Declaration Form
1 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background.
2 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form.
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @STARADVERTISER.COM State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background.
The digitization of Hawaii's Plants and Animals Declaration Form is set to be launched in March under the Akamai Arrival pilot program, state leaders announced Monday.
The initiative, authorized under Act 196 during the previous legislative session, represents a significant step toward modernizing the state's biosecurity efforts by improving form completion rates and enhancing protections against invasive species.
The pilot program will run from Saturday through May 31, concentrating exclusively on ensuring compliance with the new digital technology. While the state intends to add tourism-related checks into the digital process in the future, the current initiative will primarily enhance the review of travelers' agricultural declarations.
Beginning Saturday, the pilot program, overseen by the state Department of Agriculture, will be implemented on select domestic flights in collaboration with major airlines including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Participating airlines will integrate the digital form into their arrival processes, allowing passengers to submit their required agricultural declarations more efficiently before landing in Hawaii.
'It is a great relief to see this innovation. To have it be done electronically is going to be very positive. It's going to be helpful for our state, but most importantly, it's our biosecurity weapon, ' Gov. Josh Green said. 'We're taking this important step today to begin to modernize how we protect Hawaii and launch this Akamai Arrival pilot program.'
Green emphasized that the initiative is not only focused on safeguarding agricultural security, but also aims to protect the overall ecosystem, which contributes to the health of local communities and beyond.
Don 't miss out on what 's happening !
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE !
Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA.
The collaborative effort among Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, legislators, airline partners and stakeholders to modernize state processes aims to safeguard Hawaii's natural heritage.
'This is what government should be doing—utilizing technology to improve our state processes and better serve the public. Every one of us, whether coming home or traveling to Hawai 'i, is very familiar with filling out the paper agriculture form. By digitizing this form, we're making compliance easier for travelers while using technology to protect what makes Hawai 'i so special, ' Luke said.
Airlines participating in the pilot have discretion over flight selection and implementation methods. The 'Akamai Arrival ' website will serve as a central hub for passengers, providing access to the digital form, flight information and an FAQ page to assist travelers.
'U.S. airlines play a critical role in connecting travelers to Hawai 'i, and the transition from paper to digital agriculture declaration forms is a significant step toward modernizing the travel experience, ' Sean Williams, Airlines for America vice president of state and local government affairs, said in a statement. 'We're proud to support the 'Akamai Arrival' program, making the arrival process more seamless and efficient for travelers.'
Travelers should be aware that all arrivals from the mainland to Hawaii are required by state law to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form. Since its implementation in 1973, this form has been a critical tool in preventing the introduction of invasive species that threaten Hawaii's unique ecosystem.
Failing to complete the form accurately or defacing it can result in serious consequences, as people who provide false information or neglect to declare prohibited or restricted items—including plants, animals and certain food products—face severe penalties.
Violations could result in a misdemeanor charge with fines of up to $25, 000 and /or up to one year in prison. Furthermore, intentionally smuggling prohibited items, such as snakes or other invasive species, could escalate to a Class C felony, carrying a maximum penalty of $200, 000 and /or up to five years in prison.
'We are saying aloha to a 79-year-old process, ' said state Sen. Glenn Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs. 'The AG form was introduced to the state of Hawaii in 1946. We've been addicted to the paper for all of that time.
Ridiculous. … I engaged the Department of Agriculture to figure out how we can digitize this paper AG form. To be honest, they were very reluctant for a number of years, and they told me to force them to do it. So I said, 'All right, I'm gonna change the law.''
According to Wakai, Hawaii boasts the best tourism data in the nation, largely due to its long-standing requirement for travelers to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form.
Since the introduction of tourism-related information in the 1950s, the form has provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing efforts. While the current pilot program focuses on agricultural compliance, Wakai assured that the tourism aspect will not be overlooked ; it will soon be integrated into the digital format, ensuring that essential data continues to be collected.
Monthly progress updates will be shared with participating airlines, and data collected will help determine potential expansions of the program in the future.
Travelers are encouraged to consult their airline carriers for specific details about how to complete the digital form, which might involve options for pre-arrival completion, including check-in reminders or in-flight Wi-Fi access.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Agriculture Secretary Brooke L. Rollins: American Farmland Is Not for Chinese Solar Panels
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In rural Tennessee, standing before more than 1,200 farmers, ranchers, and future farmers of America, I unveiled the next step in protecting our family farms and our way of life: ending taxpayer subsidization of foreign solar panels on prime farmland. Over the past few years, the unchecked expansion of solar farms, heavily subsidized by the federal government and fueled by foreign adversaries like China, has proved a serious obstacle for new farmers. The massive amount of prime farmland consumed by these projects makes land more expensive, less available, and out of reach for the next generation of producers. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a news conference in the State Capitol on August 15, 2025, in Austin, Texas. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins speaks alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a news conference in the State Capitol on August 15, 2025, in Austin, of the biggest barriers for new farmers is access to farmland. In a nation blessed with 880 million acres of farmland, it is unacceptable to price young families out of the American Dream. That's why the Department of Agriculture in the Trump-Vance administration is taking bold action to eliminate USDA programs that spend taxpayer dollars subsidizing solar panels on productive farmland. In the last 30 years in Tennessee alone, farmers have already lost over 1.1 million acres and are projected to lose another 2 million acres by 2027. Across the country, solar panels on farmland have skyrocketed by nearly 50 percent since 2021. While cash rents are already climbing, averaging $160 per acre this year, solar companies are luring landowners with payouts as high as $1,500 per acre annually. That puts family farmers in an impossible position during tough economic times. The consequences extend far beyond farmland loss. Solar panel construction damages the soil, compacts the ground, and changes drainage patterns, threatening nearby productive acreage. The Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act and federal solar tax credits have only worsened this problem, accelerating competition for farmland and driving up costs. This is perhaps one of the greatest moral crimes of the past administration, in that it enlisted both the American taxpayer and the government of the United States against the American farmer—and it now ends. Ending these reckless subsidies is about more than protecting farmland; it's about securing American energy dominance. For too long, Washington has forced taxpayers to underwrite unreliable and expensive energy sources like wind and solar, leaving our grid weaker and our nation more dependent on foreign supply chains controlled by our adversaries. Thanks to President Donald Trump's July executive order on ending market-distorting subsidies for unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources, those days are over. No American tax dollars will be funneled to Beijing for unreliable energy projects. We are taking this action because agriculture is not only America's first industry, but its foundational industry. And when I look out at today's farmers, I also see the next generation, men and women who will carry forward the torch of liberty that has secured the promise of America for almost 250 years. Through the next 41 months, we will leave no stone unturned in protecting our farmland, strengthening our family farms, and defending a way of life that has carried our nation through every challenge. Brooke L. Rollins is the 33rd United States secretary of Agriculture. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Politico
4 days ago
- Politico
The unusual GOP alliance pushing earmarks in this fall's funding fight
Conversations around government funding are ongoing. But so far, signs point to earmarks being one of the most viable pathways for breaking the impasse. It's a sweetener leaders can use to satisfy holdouts who want to be able to deliver wins for their districts — and represents a compromise for hard-liners like Harris who think this arrangement might present the best possible outcome for members who want to spend as little money as possible. Harris, who is also chair of the appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Department of Agriculture and FDA, has floated the year-long, flat-funded spending bill that contains earmarks — but paired with the guarantee that Congress will also pass several more rescissions packages to claw back funds already appropriated by Congress. He also wants the White House to send over a major package of pocket rescissions that would unilaterally cancel tens of billions of dollars. Unlike with a typical rescissions bill, where Congress has 45 days to pass it before the administration is forced to spend the money as lawmakers originally intended, a pocket rescissions measure is transmitted to Capitol Hill with 45 or fewer days left until the end of the current fiscal year — and if Congress doesn't take any action by that deadline, the money is considered revoked. There's no certainty Congress can even pass a second rescissions request, while legal experts and the federal government's top watchdog have questioned the legality of the pocket rescissions process. But the pitch could be appealing to even the likes of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who is chair of a House Oversight subcommittee tasked with identifying government waste. She said in a social media post earlier this month she was uninterested in 'another CR that will leave out much needed appropriation requests that benefit our districts.' 'Funding to support critical infrastructure projects like water, roads, and community projects will AGAIN be left not funded,' she said of a government spending bill without earmarks. Greene's position signals a critical opening for proponents of earmarks — and something of a change of tune for Republicans.
USA Today
12-08-2025
- USA Today
Half of farmers are over retirement age. Is our food system at risk?
The average age of farmers in the United States is 58. Industry leaders are worried about what will happen when they retire. When the 77-year-old patriarch of a centuries-old New Jersey farm died in early August, more than 1,300 people commented beneath a Facebook post announcing the passing of the eighth-generation farmer. Many said Hunter's Farm and Market, the family business John Hunter took over decades ago, was an integral part of their life. It was where their family bought corn, tomatoes and green beans every summer, and where some learned how to do 'hard work' during part-time high school jobs. Hunter's son, also named John Hunter, said his father's death, caused by a 'mechanical accident,' put the family in 'an unfortunate club.' With nearly 40% of all farmland across the country now owned by farmers over the age of 65, it's a club quickly gaining membership – and raising alarm bells. As the average age of the American farmer ticks above 57, industry leaders have voiced concerns about the future of American agriculture and the country's food supply. More than 95% of farms in the United States are family-owned. Yet, the number of farms has steadily declined in recent years amid greater consolidation. In 2022, there were almost 2 million farms and ranches, down 6.9% from 2017, according to data from the Department of Agriculture's census report. The number of farms could fall further as farmers continue to age, and fewer young people take their place. 'Not every family has that next generation or has a son or daughter or grandson or whatever to take over,' said Bill Hlubik, an agricultural professor at Rutgers University, who runs the school's farmer training program. 'It is a huge challenge and we're going to have to deal with it.' A crisis 40 years in the making The current dilemma facing the farming industry ties back to the 1980s farm crisis, when thousands of families lost their farms due, in part, to plummeting land values and overproduction. The economic downturn altered the way young people thought about farming. At the time, parents 'discouraged their children from returning to the land or pursuing careers in agriculture,' Aaron Locker, managing director of the agricultural recruitment firm Kincannon and Reed, told Congress during a June 4 hearing. Enrollment in agriculture-based college programs dropped by nearly 37% between 1980 and 1990 and, in some regions, the share of students studying farming still remains small. Young people who grew up in farming families are opting not to continue the businesses for a variety of reasons, from concerns about health care resources available in rural areas, to the financial burdens and uncertainty of farm work, said Megan Schossow, who works as a coordinator at the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center at the University of Minnesota. People who want to open their own farms, but who don't have family ties to the industry, also face enormous upfront challenges, including the costs of land and machinery. 'In the past institutional knowledge would've been shared from one generation to another,' Hlubik said. 'Now we simply don't have as many people as we had that are actively farming. It's less than less than 1% of the population.' An existential threat? Those in the agriculture industry appear divided over just how much consumers could feel the effects of the aging farm population in the coming years. Locker called the vacuum in leadership on family farms a 'threat to the resilience of the most essential system in the country — our food supply.' Farmers who retire and don't have anyone to pass their businesses to, are more likely to consolidate the farm or sell the land. But others, including Chris Wolf, a professor of agricultural economics at Cornell University, say the broader impacts aren't yet fully known. 'It's not clear that it's really a food security issue,' Wolf said. 'It's more about a way of life as far as keeping the farms around. Farms end up being a major economic driver in rural communities so if you don't have as many farms around, then you lose local businesses.' Addressing information gaps and increasing financial assistance for new farmers could go a long way toward solving the problem, he suggested. And there are signs for optimism. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of new farmers jumped 11% and in 2023, the number of agriculture graduates in the workforce grew by 3%, according to data from the Department of Agriculture. Rutgers' RU Ready to Farm program had more than 500 people apply to participate, and has more than 230 currently enrolled, said Hlubik, who runs the initiative. He hesitated to call the issue of aging farmers a 'crisis' but argued that 'the importance of it needs to rise.'
