A chicken-or-egg predicament: No funding; no feral chicken control

Nearly a year after Gov. Josh Green signed into law a measure intended to help Hawaiʻi counties tame unruly flocks of feral chickens, the initiative remains unfunded and unimplemented, leaving counties without state assistance and the birds free to roam island streets and neighborhoods.

Unfunded mandate

Enacted on July 3, 2024, Act 185 (formerly Senate Bill 2401) required the state Department of Agriculture to work with the counties on feral chicken control programs. However, the department confirmed Monday that no state funds have been appropriated or distributed to implement the law.

“Although Act 185 was enacted, there was no funding approved,” said department spokesperson Janelle Saneishi. When asked about next steps, Saneishi said further action rests with state legislators.

Feral chicken nuisance: local impacts

A legislative finding in Senate Bill 2401 reported that “feral chickens and roosters wander into yards and gardens, digging up plans, damaging food crops and jeopardizing native plants and resources. Feral roosters crow at all times of day and night, which has led to numerous noise complaints by residents throughout the state, and droppings from feral chickens are unsanitary and create a health concern.”

Maui County funding for feral animal control

This absence of state funding has left counties such as Maui County to cope with feral animal control on their own. Maui County reported that while no funds have been specifically appropriated for feral chicken control, its fiscal year 2026 budget includes the following allocations for broader feral animal management:

• Feral Animal Control Lāna’i: $285,000
• Feral Animal Control Molokaʻi: $100,000
• Mitigation for axis deer: $1.5 million in grant funding (up to $100,000 per grantee for up to 500 acres of fencing)

Maui County officials confirmed that these funds “can be used for any feral animal control, including chickens.”

Legislative hurdles

When asked to weigh in on the issue of feral chicken control and the broader issue of invasive species management, Wayne Tanaka, director of the Hawaiʻi Sierra Club, said there’s been inconsistent state commitment to biosecurity.

According to Tanaka, Senate Bill 2401 was amended in conference committee in 2024 to take out grant-in-aid funding to the counties. Also that year, a separate measure, House Bill 2619, would have set aside $20 million for biosecurity investments, but the governor cut $10 million in funding from the measure, including feral chicken control.

In a news release announcing his vetoes last year, Green said that while he supports the intent of the legislation and continues to work with the Department of Agriculture on invasive pest control and eradication biosecurity efforts, “part of this ongoing effort is to determine the appropriate level of funding that is feasible and executable” by the department. “With existing challenges to staffing vacancies and existing appropriations for biosecurity, the dollar amount in this bill will be assessed to ensure effective impact of funds for biosecurity,” the governor said.

Tanaka said: “The governor line-item vetoed that appropriation among others – a $10 million reduction to a bill he had just called ‘landmark’ legislation.”

Tanaka also pointed out difficulties even with the reduced funds that were made available, noting that the department “struggled to spend them down,” and some expenditures were directed towards purposes like contracting Terminix for Little Fire Ant infestations, rather than leveraging the expertise of local organizations like the Hawaiʻi Ant Lab.

Response from Board of Agriculture chair

In emailed comments received by Maui Now Wednesday morning, Board of Agriculture Chair Sharon Hurd said House Bill 2616, regarding agricultural biosecurity, passed in 2024 with an appropriation of $19,780,660, but the governor decided to reduce it to $10 million as part of an effort to balance the state’s budget.

Green asked the department to recommend reductions to maximize the control and mitigation of invasive species statewide, she said.

“The department appreciated being able to determine where the funding would be most impactful and preserve the 44 positions provided in the bill,” Hurd said, noting that “$10 million is more funding than ever appropriated to control and mitigate invasive species. The support continues this year with over $12 million added to continue biosecurity efforts.”

The management of feral animals is managed by several agencies, she said.

Specifically, “feral chicken control is an interagency effort because as an animal that was previously domesticated, now found in a the wild, it is controlled by the Department of Land and Natural Resources (wild areas), the Hawaiian Humane Society (humane treatment), the counties (animal control), the Department of Health (diseases transmissible to humans (salmonella, avian influenza) and Department of Agriculture (food safety, commercial production). Feral animals are managed by the counties and includes chickens, cats, pigs, dogs, parrots, parakeets, etc. It may be necessary for funding to be appropriated to the counties to manage feral animals.”

Biosecurity advocacy

Tanaka said: “This very recent history highlights how important it is for the community to monitor and otherwise keep pressure on the HDOA, the Board of Agriculture, and the Governor’s office, to ensure that the Green administration treats our invasive species crises with the seriousness needed.”

He called for the timely implementation of inspection and quarantine authorities granted by the Legislature in House Bill 427, which has been transmitted to the governor for action, as well as the enforcement of administrative rules for stop movement orders on infested commodities.

Governor unavailable

Governor Green’s office was contacted for comment but reported that the governor is currently out of state on vacation.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Board of Agriculture Chair Sharon Hurd. Maui Now also reached out to state legislators who introduced Senate Bill 2401. This story will be updated when responses are received.