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Saturday, April 26, 2008; Posted: 04:26 PM
While the insect pest has not been found in the Valley, leaders of the region's industry groups worry that court challenges could hamper regulators' ability to fight off the moth and other pests that could devastate future crops. And state officials say that if the light brown apple moth isn't contained, its spread into the Valley could cost the state billions of dollars.
Those in the farm industry say they are keeping a close watch on any legal developments and are tracking legislation they believe could hamstring efforts to eradicate the pest in the infested areas. They also are meeting with activists opposed to the spraying of a pheromone meant to confuse the moth and disrupt its mating cycle.
Joel Nelsen, president of California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, said that if the government's efforts "are hampered by activists, local government or sympathetic judges, we could find ourselves in the situation faced by Florida."
He said Florida's citrus industry was significantly reduced in large part due to insect pests, dropping it in 2006 to second place behind California for the value of its citrus crops.
State and federal efforts to eradicate the moth with aerial spraying have been hitting roadblocks in recent days. They include a court-ordered halt Thursday of spraying in Santa Cruz County until the state conducts a full environmental review. The California Department of Food and Agriculture is appealing the decision.
The court ruling brought negative responses from farm leaders. California Tomato Growers Association President Ross Siragusa said: "By the time the suggested study is completed, the moth may have spread to other sensitive areas causing enormous economic damage, which may necessitate the use of pesticides as opposed to the environmentally benign pheromone."
The association represents growers of processing tomatoes, which is a $248 million crop in Fresno County.
Also on Thursday, Gov. Schwarzenegger announced the state will postpone aerial treatment until more testing on toxicity is done. The governor termed the moth "a serious threat to California's forests and agriculture. If left uncontrolled, the moth would have a devastating impact on our state's environment and economy."
Opponents to spraying include Nan Wishner, an activist with a group called Stop the Spray and chair of the city of Albany's Integrated Pest Management Task Force.
Wishner contends threats posed by the light brown apple moth are being overstated by public officials. She believes health threats posed by spraying are being understated. She also questions why officials "went from discovery [of the pest] to blanket aerial spraying, that should be an ultimate last resort unless there's a profound public health emergency like bubonic plague."
Steve Lyle, CDFA director of public affairs, said the size of the infested area makes aerial applications the most effective. He said it would be "logistically impossible" to confine use of the pheromone to "twist ties" manually applied on the ground.
Lyle said that if the infestation spreads, "Californians themselves will be likely to increase their own personal pesticide use" and more conventional tools will be used.
"We have the responsibility, as does the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to protect the agriculture industry and the environment," Lyle said.
Lyle said the pest, which can damage hundreds of plants, could cause $640 million in crop losses annually in the infested counties of Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, San Francisco, Contra Costa, Marin, Solano and Sonoma.
If it moves into the Central Valley and becomes generally established statewide, the losses would be in the billions of dollars, Lyle said.
State environmental health experts have said they found no solid link between hundreds of illnesses reported by Central Coast residents and the pesticides sprayed on their communities to fight the invasive moth.
State and federal officials sprayed residential areas in Monterey and Santa Cruz counties several times last fall to combat the moth. Lyle said it's anticipated that spraying could resume in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties June 1 and would start on Aug. 1 in San Francisco County.
After last year's spraying, hundreds of people complained of shortness of breath, sharp stomach pains and itchy eyes after the applications of the synthetic pheromone mixture called CheckMate.
However, Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment officials could not confirm a direct link between the sprays and the reported symptoms after reviewing 487 individual complaints.
Joan Denton, the agency's director, said scientists could not rule out a possible connection, either.
"Even if we know -- without a doubt -- that the moth is as much of a threat as is being suggested, and even if we know -- without a doubt -- that there is not a health threat, the administration would still have a major public relations catastrophe on its hands," said Assembly Member Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.
Leno has introduced a bill, AB 2760, that would require that an environmental impact report be completed before a pesticide can be sprayed in an urban area for eradication of the moth. It does not address spraying in rural areas.
AB 2760 has passed the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources and will go Wednesday to the Assembly Committee on Appropriations that Leno chairs.
"I have constituents who are out of their minds in fear, mothers telling me they will have to leave the area," Leno said. "We should not live in fear of our government."
Barry Bedwell, who heads the Fresno-based California Grape and Tree Fruit League, said Leno's bill could result in "a delay or stop to the process when we have an emergency situation. A California Environmental Quality Act review can take months, if not years."
Bedwell said the moth, if unchecked, could take a significant toll that would go beyond commercial agriculture. Its host list includes redwoods and oaks, he said.
Its impact on agriculture, beyond direct damage to crops, could include quarantines pressed by importers.
"A trade issue is a real impact. It's as destructive as a pest chewing on a vine," Bedwell said.
Bedwell and Nelsen say public health "has to be the No. 1 concern."
And Bedwell said he believes aerial application of a pheromone is "the least intrusive choice -- it amounts to one ounce per acre." Nelsen said the pheromone "does not kill; it confuses."
"Pheromone treatments have been used in the United States and around the world in agricultural and urban areas for well over a decade without incident," California Secretary of Agriculture A.G. Kawamura said in a statement. "As recently as last year, more than 3 million acres in the United States were aerially treated with moth pheromone to disrupt the mating of gypsy moths."
Kawamura said he understands the skepticism of those who recall "the age of Agent Orange and DDT, or even malathion treatments to eradicate the medfly. But those cases and this pheromone are very, very different things."
Urging residents to consider hard science and avoid unsubstantiated claims, Kawamura called the treatments "the most health-conscious and environmentally sensitive eradication project we have ever undertaken in this state."
As the controversy continues, two moth-related bills have been approved by the Assembly Committee on Agriculture. AB 2763 by Assembly Member John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, would permit CDFA to plan for future exotic pest infestations by preparing written strategy assessments. AB 2765 by Assembly Member Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, would direct CDFA to hold a public hearing before beginning an aerial application to eradicate an exotic pest. Both bills are supported by the Wine Institute in San Francisco.
Two other moth-related proposals were defeated in the committee. AB 2764 by Assembly Member Loni Hancock, D-Berkeley, would have mandated the governor, not CDFA, declare a state of emergency to eradicate an exotic pest. And AB 2892 by Assembly Member Sandre Swanson, D-Alameda, would have required a separate two-thirds vote by cities and counties before conducting an aerial eradication program in their jurisdiction.
As some legislation -- and litigation -- moves forward, Eric Cisneros, general manager for Fresno Cooperative Raisin Growers, says, "We need to get rid of the problem now."
Cisneros said 40% of the cooperative's tonnage is organic and a third of the raisins from its 35 family farm members is shipped overseas. "We don't want to have restrictions placed on it; we need to take care of it now before it spreads."
The reporter can be reached at dpollock@fresnobee.com or (559)441-6364.
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