The Moth Sprayers Are Coming Back! Sustaining Marin, posted by Ed Mainland, a resident of the Bel Marin Keys neighborhood, on Nov 25, 2009 at 8:34 pm Ed Mainland is a member (registered user) of Pacific Sun
California's Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is back with its newest "eradication plan" for the Light Brown Apple Moth -- and Sustainable Novato, with many other local organizations, have been speaking out against it.
After more than a year of controversy, CDFA has not been able to show that LBAM is a serious threat to agriculture. Therefore, say opponents, this massively expensive $90 million eradication campaign is totally unnecessary.
LBAM is not a new non-native species. It has been in California for decades and is now well established—without doing any more harm than any other leaf roller moth species. Indeed, according to Dr. James Carey, Professor in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Daniel Harder, Executive Director of the arboretum at UC Santa Cruz, eradication is no longer possible. CDFA and farmers can only hope to “control” this species that does no appreciable harm, using pesticides and methods (aerial spraying, Sterile Insect Technique—SIT, twist ties and ground spraying) that are more dangerous than the LBAM itself -- or just plain ineffective. Once CDFA discontinues the proposed intensive eradication strategies, evidence has shown that the LBAM population will simply regenerate.
In these extremely difficult financial times, it is hard to justify taking money away from teachers, the poor, the disabled, and the elderly because our NAFTA trading partners want to limit American agricultural imports across their borders. LBAM has existed in New Zealand for more than 100 years. New Zealand is still shipping us produce that has been certified as LBAM-free, without having to eradicate the moth in the entire country.
CDFA's classification of LBAM as a Class A pest requiring eradication has actually harmed farmers because it limits their ability to ship produce out of state. Onerous inspection methods have caused some crop damage, and the program would severely jeopardize California’s successful organic farming ndustry by contamination.
That is why Sustainable Novato and others have been urging CDFA to reclassify the Light Brown Apple Moth from a Class “A” (major pest) to a Class “C” (pest of minor concern). Marin Mothers Against the Spray (MOMAS) and Pesticide Action Network, among others, call CDFA's "plan" unnecessary, ineffective, unhealthy, enormously expensive and doomed to failure. SPAWN and various sustainability groups agree.
According to activist sources, Jared Huffman, Marin-Sonoma's Sixth District state Assemblyman, says he shares many of these concerns and favors downgrading the pest from Class A to Class C. But until this happens, Huffman wants to allow some "less harmful measures" lest what growers start using is even worse.
Critics respond that, logically, if science says the moth isn't harmful, then ANY method of control is wrong, especially when some of the "least harmful" methods are turning out to have disquieting environmental effects themselves. Acquiescence in "least harmful methods", they say, will dilute principle, weaken pressure to downgrade the non-existent "threat", and promote the bureaucratic push to spray every greater quantities of these so-called "less harmful" products into our orchards, vineyards, fields and even near or in populated areas.
Posted by RobertW, a resident of another community, on Nov 26, 2009 at 11:05 pm
This article is one of the most accurate and reasonable in over two years on this LBAM subject.
Reviewing:
1. THE MOTH HAS DONE NO DAMAGE IN CALIFORNIA (The CDFA admits that in the Environmental Impact Report buried within 1500 pages, Chapter #3, pages 3-20 & 3-21) but CDFA still continues to deliver false claims of damage to the media so the public thinks the eradication program is necessary.
2. The moth cannot be eradicated because it is already living across much of the state and amongst people. If technology existed for LBAM to be eradicated, then flies and ants and spiders and cockroaches could also be eradicated, but they can't.
3. Each method of unnecessary and ineffective attempt at eradication takes it toll on the health of people and balances of nature.
The $90 MILLION for the eradication program is only for ONE year. CDFA's average eradication programs last over 25 years so this program has a $3 BILLION dollar price tag, and for absolutely nothing.
So "Why" is CDFA doing this?
The Public Funds they steal for the LBAM eradication program more than doubles CDFA's entire General Fund budget every year. And CDFA is able to distribute much of those funds through pesticide and service contracts to their insider privileged corporate chemical companies. That is the motivation for the LBAM program, not the moth.
The top management of CDFA has NO morality, none. They have already chemically molested 100's of thousands of children in the Central Coast area of California and they are willing and ready to molest millions more to get what they want.
Posted by Ted Stone, a resident of the Corte Madera neighborhood, on Nov 28, 2009 at 2:06 pm
The aerial spray seems the most ominous, but the ground application (Permethrin Poison) that the California Department of Agriculture is planning is even more deadly to kids and pets and wild animals.
I lived in New Zealand for 15 years and worked in agriculture. The light brown apple moth is about as dangerous to crops as rain is to the ocean. It is simply a non-issue.
Folks in the U.S. are funny. Instead of looking around and talking with farmers to find out this moth is a non-issue, they watch TV and believe the propaganda that the Agriculture Department delivers to the media. TV really dominates thought in this country, and far more than any other place I've been.
Don't get me wrong, I still like this country and appreciate being here. Its just that those running the agriculture department in California should not be in that department, rather they should be in a cell in prison for what they are doing.
Posted by Debbie F., MOMAS, a resident of the Mill Valley neighborhood, on Nov 29, 2009 at 8:11 pm
As chair of MOMAS (Mothers of Marin Against the Spray), I have personally spoken with farmers, entomologists and other independent experts. Despite over a year of questioning, we have not heard, nor seen, evidence that the light brown apple moth is a significant threat to California agriculture. Also, the CDFA has not shown that their "eradication" tools will work. Yet, they have spent tens of millions of our scarce tax dollars on this program - including a $3 million ad campaign called "Hungry Pests" designed to convince us to be afraid of this moth - and the tab continues to run. President Obama promised us that policy decisions would be made based upon sound science. The CDFA and USDA's light brown apple moth eradication program flies in the face of that, threatening to blast communities across California with a vast array of toxic chemicals, based on flimsy or no scientific evidence. We can do better - and we deserve better.
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California's Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is back with its newest "eradication plan" for the Light Brown Apple Moth -- and Sustainable Novato, with many other local organizations, have been speaking out against it. 
