PIERCE'S DISEASE LETTER TO CDFA SECRETARY LYONS

[sal]

I agree we need help with chemical and GMO trespass on organic growers and
school yards and others that are being contaminated against their well.  i
am sure glad to see this . I hope the state of Ca. hears and helps.  CDFA
SECRETARY LYONS  should help us after all they are heading the organic
movement in Ca. and signing folks up to be organic farmers taking their
money and now he has a chance to help them keep their organicness.  I hope
the Fed. standards also will help protect the organic grower and not just
police them.  At last someone helping the grower and fighting  for the
farmer not against them.  Thanks and keep up the great work.
----- Original Message -----
From: <EWerb at aol.com>
To: <scpg at arashi.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 1:07 AM
Subject: PIERCE'S DISEASE LETTER TO CDFA SECRETARY LYONS


> this is not another stupid email petition or a story about president
reject
> bush -
> this is a plea for reduced toxicity in the war on the environment - plus
we
> can argue that it is a kyoto credit...
>
> Californians for Pesticide Reform
>
> Action Alert
>
> SIGN ON TO PIERCE'S DISEASE LETTER TO CDFA SECRETARY LYONS (REVISED
> POLICY STATEMENT)
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> Action: Please read and endorse the following letter to CDFA Secretary
Bill
> Lyons by 5:00 pm on Friday, December 8. The letter
> will be used to call on the California Department of Food and Agriculture
> to prioritize public health and environmental protection, ensure adequate
> public notification and participation in decision making and promote
organic
> and sustainable approaches to controlling Pierce's disease. The
> letter is a revision of the
> policy statement you may have signed on to earlier.  Changes reflect
> comments we
> received following the release of the original version.
> Thank you to those of you who provided input. We will deliver the letter
to
> CDFA Secretary Bill Lyons on December 12.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> SIGN-ON FORM
>
> Please email back this sign-on form to pests at igc.org.
>
> __ Yes, Add my organization to the list of groups endorsing the
> following letter.
> Name:
> Title:
> Organization:
> Address:
> Phone:
> Fax:
> Email:
>
> For more information, contact Jessica Hamburger at Pesticide Action
> Network, jah at panna.org, 415-981-1771.
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> William J. Lyons, Jr.
> Secretary, California Department of Food and Agriculture
> 1220 N Street, Suite 409
> Sacramento, CA 95814
>
> Dear Secretary Lyons:
>
> We, the undersigned public interest groups, call on the California
> Department of Food and Agriculture to enact the following proposals.
> Implementation of our recommendations will prioritize public health
> and environmental protection, ensure adequate public notification and
> participation in decisionmaking and promote organic and sustainable
> approaches to controlling Pierce's disease.
>
> I. Background
>
> Pierce's disease, caused by the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, has
> affected grapes in California for over 100 years. Insect vectors
> spread the disease from one plant to another. A more effective vector
> for the disease, the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), has become
> well established in Southern California and is spreading throughout
> the state. There is no widely recognized cure for Pierce's disease.
> Scientists familiar with the GWSS have testified before the state
> legislature that the spread of the insect to new areas of the state
> could cause major economic losses to the grape and wine industries.
> The federal and state governments have declared a state of emergency,
> and have allocated over $35 million to the California Department of
> Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to create the Pierce's Disease Control
> Program.
>
> CDFA's current program to control the GWSS needlessly endangers the
> public, does not involve those most impacted in the decisionmaking
> process, and is likely to fail to prevent or cure Pierce's disease.
> The primary problems with the program are:
> x Local agencies are endangering public health by spraying pesticides
> around homes and by aerial spraying agricultural land, a practice
> that can result in pesticides drifting into neighboring communities.
> x Current efforts rely heavily on the use of highly hazardous
> pesticides, including the nerve poisons Lorsban and Sevin.
> x The decisionmaking process does not include adequate public
participation.
> x Use of broad-spectrum insecticides is killing off beneficial
> insects that keep other pests in check.
> x There is no long-term plan for the prevention or cure of Pierce's
disease.
> The program's current focus on spraying pesticides is unacceptable.
> We call on CDFA to end the state of emergency and conduct a full
> environment impact report (EIR) under the California Environmental
> Quality Act (CEQA). The program must shift its emphasis to developing
> organic and sustainable disease prevention measures and non-chemical
> and least-toxic methods of pest control. These investments will
> benefit agriculture by minimizing crop losses due to Pierce's disease
> and will protect public health and the environment by reducing
> reliance on hazardous pesticides. Investing in organic and
> sustainable agriculture is good for the economy and good for the
> environment.
>
> II. Recommendations
>
> 1. Protect Public Health, the Environment and Organic Farms
> x Protection of public health and the environment should be a primary
> factor in selecting options for controlling and preventing Pierce's
> disease.
> x All CDFA program components must comply with applicable public
> health and environmental laws, including the California Environmental
> Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water
> Act, the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal
> Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and any other applicable
> laws.
> x Completion of a full EIR under CEQA shall be a precondition for the
> disbursement of funds. An EIR is essential because it will ensure
> public disclosure of the public health and environmental effects of
> the program and evaluation of alternative approaches that have fewer
> health and environmental impacts.
> x No Pierce's Disease Control Program funds should finance the use of
> synthetic pesticides, including EPA Category I and II acute poisons,
> nerve toxins (including Lorsban and Sevin), known or probable
> carcinogens, reproductive or developmental toxicants, or are known to
> have contaminated California groundwater.
> x Broadcast (including aerial) applications of pesticides to combat
> Pierce's disease must never be used.
> x Organic farms, urban mini-farms, gardens and landscapes must not be
> contaminated by forced pesticide spraying. Maintaining these organic
> islands will ensure the availability of release sites for natural
> enemies of the GWSS, and will prevent financial losses to growers and
> damage to backyard conservation efforts.
>
> 2. Ensure Adequate Public Notification and Input
> x CDFA must inform residents of their right to refuse to allow
> spraying of pesticides and their right to use alternative methods on
> property that they own or rent. Pierce's Disease Control Program
> funds should be made available to hire experts to provide
> non-chemical control of GWSS around homes, schools, hospitals,
> nursing homes and other sensitive areas.
> x If pesticides are used, the public must be notified in advance of
> any applications. Neighbors within a one-mile radius of the proposed
> spraying must receive notice at least two weeks in advance, with a
> second 24-hour notice of the details of the plan. Residents must be
> provided with information about the health and ecological impacts of
> the chemicals to be used.
> x All decisions about Pierce's disease control should be transparent
> and include adequate public input. This includes decisions at the
> federal, state, county and local levels. Specifically, the process
> should include the following provisions:
> a) State regulations and plans and county workplans must be subject
> to health and environmental review with public involvement through
> the preparation of a full EIR under CEQA.
> b) Any county that is developing a Pierce's disease control workplan
> and/or designating a "local public entity" to implement the workplan
> must hold a public hearing, making the draft workplan publicly
> available at least ten days in advance. The purpose of these hearings
> should be to involve the public in real decisionmaking, not to simply
> inform them about what action is going to be taken.
> c) The local public entity should be a task force chaired by the
> county board of supervisors.
> d) County GWSS/Pierce's disease task forces and CDFA's Pierce's
> Disease Advisory Task Force and Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Science
> Advisory Panel must include diverse representation. All three groups
> should have at least one representative from each of the following
> stakeholder constituencies: public health organization; environmental
> organization; organic farmer; and a community representative from an
> area that is impacted by Pierce's disease policy. Meetings should be
> sufficiently posted in advance and should be open to the public.
>
> 3. Promote Organic and Sustainable Approaches
> x Growers must take preventive measures to control Pierce's disease.
> Preventive steps should include the following:
> a) Avoid planting grapes in areas that are known to be Pierce's
> disease hotspots;
> b) Avoid planting grapes next to crops known to harbor large
> populations of GWSS, such as citrus;
> c) Avoid planting grape varieties known to be susceptible to Pierce's
> disease; and
> d) Immediately remove plants exhibiting symptoms of Pierce's disease.
> x Pierce's disease control program funds should be used to assist
> growers in adopting organic and sustainable practices through on-farm
> research, technical support and cost sharing. The program should
> emphasize improving soil fertility and plant health, planting
> resistant varieties and reducing soil erosion. Growers should be
> assisted in using buffer zones, mechanical controls and non-toxic
> confusion and diversion strategies to keep GWSS from feeding in
> vineyards and orchards. The program should support agricultural
> practices that reduce pest problems by providing for a diversity of
> predatory insects, diverse cropping patterns and habitat diversity.
> x Genetically modified organisms (e.g., bacteria, insects and plants)
> should not be used to combat Pierce's disease and no public funding
> should be allocated to such approaches.
> x The introduction of non-native beneficial insects to control the
> GWSS should be avoided unless research shows that native beneficials
> cannot provide adequate control. Non-native species may be introduced
> only if research shows that they would not cause collateral damage to
> local ecosystems.
> x If analysis of the threat posed by GWSS justifies it, CDFA should
> implement quarantine on the shipment on all nursery stock, vines, and
> grapes from counties where GWSS infestations have been discovered.
> Using pesticides on nursery stock and grape shipments that are
> suspected of containing GWSS adults, nymphs or egg masses will be
> ineffective and will cause unnecessary health and ecological impacts.
> x CDFA must ensure that grape plants offered for sale are free of
> Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterium that causes Pierce's disease. The
> effectiveness of CDFA's current nursery certification program
> designed for this purpose should be evaluated and improved as
> necessary.
> x Selection of control measures must take into account impacts on
> beneficial insects that pollinate plants and keep other pests in
> check.
>
> The undersigned organizations call on the California Department of
> Food and Agriculture to enact our recommendations.
>
> Pesticide Action Network
> Californians for Pesticide Reform
> California Public Interest Research Group
> Organic Farming Research Foundation
> Sierra Club
> (your group)
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> --------------------
> --
> Californians for Pesticide Reform
> 49 Powell Street, Suite 530
> San Francisco, CA 94102
> Phone 415-981-3939 ext. 6
> Fax 415-981-2727
> pests at igc.apc.org
> www.igc.org/cpr
>
>
> </XMP>