Interviews about the apple moth
Farmer opinions:
An organic farmer in Northern California expresses concern regarding CheckMate’s alleged negative effects on human health and also the crops. When asked for their opinion, this farmer stated:
“It is important to address the problem at its source, the city, before it can spread out into the agricultural areas and impact farm production. In addition, spraying in the city will pale in comparison to what the individual farmer will have to do to control for this moth if it gets out to their farms. This would probably include more toxic and unmanaged pesticide use.”
Q and A with Paul Schramski, State Director, Pesticide Watch:
Q: Has there been any legal action taken in response to aerial spraying?
A: There are currently two lawsuits pending in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. One of the lawsuits was brought by an environmental group in Monterey County called HOPE (Helping Our Penninsula's Environment). Another is being brought by the County of Santa Cruz and City of Santa Cruz. They are being defended by a local private firm. Additional legal prospects are being pursued in other parts of Northern California.
Q: Has legal action been effective tool?
A: The legal route thus far has been ineffective in immediately stopping the spray, except for buying us a few days in one case. More than anything, the cases have been successful in drawing attention to the issue. There has been much more action and response from decision-makers, including a delay in the spray, thanks to public action, public meetings, and through the MEDIA!
Currently there are 5 legislative proposals and 2 forceful resolutions, that will be considered by our state legislature. While this legislation will be important to prevent future unscientific and unsafe spray events, they likely won’t take effect until January 1, 2009.
City resolutions have been passed in Monterey, Santa Cruz, Albany and Berkeley that oppose aerial pesticide spraying, with more to come in other cities across the state. These resolutions send the message to our legislators and the Governor that they must stop the spray. In addition, cities are considering passing ordinances that will provide them with the powers to legally prevent future spray efforts.
Californians, from every walk of life, are building a movement to stop the spray. Soccer moms, organic farmers and realtors are working to stop the spray. These Californians are creating new civic institutions, new community centers, to stop the spray. These citizens are ahead of most environmental groups, and will set a new environmental agenda for California that creates true chemical policy reform.
Lead groups working on this issue include:
Statewide Organizations:
Pesticide Watch
Environment California
Regional Organizations:
Stop the Spray Marin
Stop the Spray
California Alliance to Stop the Spray
Coalition for Sustainable Action
Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment
Q: How has this spraying been able to bypass normal environmental regulations?
A: If the USDA grants an emergency exemption, it can bypass the normal environmental regulations, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Q: Is CheckMate organic?
A: CheckMate and other potential spray products are acceptable under the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP), though they undermine consumer belief in organic products and organic certifiers will increasingly speak out against these products.
Q: If spraying is stopped, HOW will the moth be controlled?
A: This question gets to the heart of the matter. The question we need to be asking ourselves is “how dangerous is this moth to California’s environment and agriculture?” Unfortunately, our state agencies never really examined this question. The moth is a leafroller, so it likely posses very little damage to the environment, has been in California for at least a year and likely more, and has done no actual damage to agriculture in the state. So it’s questionable whether the moth needs to be controlled at all, and it is likely impossible to eradicate because of the insect’s pervasiveness. For LBAM, and all future potentially invasive pests, we Californians need to truly understand the pests. Then, we should thoroughly review methods to control the pest and thoroughly examine the health and environmental impacts of those measures. The state has consistently failed to do this with most pests in California, and fasttracks the most radical efforts, like aerial spraying pesticides, into our backyards. With increased global trade, and increased global warming, we will see more pests like LBAM entering our borders, so we need to do everything in our power to safely and effectively control them.
Q: Why urban spraying?
A: According to CDFA, most moths have been caught in urban areas. The agency is attempting to eradicate the moth in these urban areas, which is likely a foolhardy undertaking.
Q: How can the spraying be stopped?
A: Ultimately the Governor has the authority to stop the spray.
We'd love to hear from you via email about this issue.
Questions and Concerns
Why the state of emergency? What are the options to control or eradicate the light brown apple moth? Where and what does CDFA plan to spray?
Mothra vs California
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