By Natalie Willis, Reporter, Valley Ag Voice
Several farmworkers and environmental activists gathered at the Shafter Youth Center on Tuesday to demand the exact location of planned pesticide applications. The public hearing, hosted by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, was intended to address proposed modifications to the first-of-its-kind pesticide application notification system — SprayDays.
The proposed changes include clarifying the restricted materials pesticides subject to 24-hour and 48-hour reporting requirements, making publicly available the pesticide product name and active ingredients, and requiring DPR to re-evaluate the SprayDays system. Restricted chemicals would require at least 24 hours’ notice, while soil fumigants would require a 48-hour reporting period.
Activists at the event, however, called for the exact location of where a grower plans to apply restricted materials rather than the current DPR requirement to report applications within one square mile.
While agricultural interests were outnumbered, Jenny Holtermann, a fourth-generation farmer and president of the Kern County Farm Bureau, explained that the notification system does not benefit the public but rather instigates unnecessary fear.
“Our biggest concern is that repeated notifications of potential pesticide applications can lead to greater public confusion and fear around safety,” Holtermann said. “Access to pending applications outside of a one-mile radius serves no public or individual benefit but rather instigates unnecessary fear from repeated notifications that could be hundreds or thousands of miles away. If DPR cannot scientifically validate their reasoning, then the risk of identifying the site of application is too great.”
Joshua Rahm, Director of Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the California Walnut Commission, echoed this sentiment, explaining that various regulations are already in place to protect growers, the public, and the environment.
Still, farmworker advocates reiterated demands for precise location, explaining that it would allow them time to take appropriate measures to protect themselves such as shutting off air conditioners and closing windows.
Several student advocates from the University of California, Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara also demanded precise locations and spoke against growers in the Central Valley for placing “corporate greed” above public health.
According to DPR’s filed Economic and Fiscal Impact Statement, the economic impact of the regulation would affect 99% of small businesses. Additionally, while the 2021-2022 state budget allocated an initial $10 million over four years for the development of the statewide notification system, long-term costs will be evaluated as a part of the regulation development.
During her comments, Holtermann explained that Kern County was the first in the state to offer a Spray Safe program which hosts almost 1,000 farmworkers and employers annually in demonstrations on the safe application of agricultural chemicals.
“As farmers, we too live in our agriculture communities. I myself along with my family, live in the middle of one of our family farms. Our kids are often found at work with us on the farm, playing in the orchards, involved in our daily practices,” Holtermann said. “Keeping our families, our farm workers and our community safe is always a top priority.”
DPR is accepting public comments on the proposed modifications until August 1 which can be submitted through DPR’s public comment portal, by mail, or by e-mail to dpr23003@cdpr.ca.gov. The agency plans to implement the notification system statewide in the first quarter of 2025.
PESTICIDE USE DECLINES
According to the latest California DPR pesticide use report, farmers decreased the use of high-risk pesticides by 5% while lower-risk pesticide applications increased. The data includes both short-term and long-term pesticide use trends with the recent decrease highlighting a 10-year trend line between 2013 and 2022.
As pesticide use dropped, the state saw a 77% decrease in groundwater contaminants and a 21% decrease in toxic air contaminants. Carcinogens — substances, organisms, or agents that can cause cancer — also declined by 20%.
Sulfur, a low-toxicity natural fungicide, and miticide was the top active ingredient in terms of pounds applied and acres treated in 200. It is used by conventional and organic farmers to manage powdery mildew, mites, and other pests.
Between 2016 and 2022, applied pounds of 1,3-dichloropropene and glyphosate — higher-risk pesticides — decreased by 31% and 17%, respectively.
Rich Kreps, a Madera County pistachio grower and certified crop advisor and sustainability specialist told Ag Alert that the use of toxic pesticides decreased due to several factors, such as advancements in crop protection technology that utilize softer materials, the need to limit applications to control costs, and restrictions on pesticide types to meet international market requirements.
“California farmers are the best in the world, especially at being efficient with the products that we are using,” Kreps said. “In the past, guys that might have had the luxury of saying, ‘I’ll do that second or third spray,’ are just doing one or two and not putting on the third unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
For detailed findings, refer to the 2022 California Pesticide Use Report Highlights.
