After two years of public outcry, the California Department of Food and Agriculture dropped its plans to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth with aerial spraying. Initial plans included spraying in heavily populated areas, one of those being Oakland. However, according to the report released last week, the state agency will focus efforts on “suppression, not eradication” of the pest.
“From the beginning, we opposed the state’s ‘spray first and ask questions later’ approach,” City Attorney John Russo said today. “Blanketing our homes, businesses, schools, reservoirs and gardens with an untested chemical was not only bad policy – it was an unnecessary risk to public health.” In a statement released today, Russo credited the Department of Food & Agriculture for ultimately making the right decision, and thanked Oakland citizens who spent countless hours researching, organizing and working to hold their government accountable.
More information is available on the City Attorney’s Web site.
Thanks to all who made this happen. As a psychotherapist who works with people who have chemical sensitivities (and as an unwilling guinea pig, myself), I was dreading the consequences of this reckless plan. One less thing to worry about!
LIGHT BROWN APPLE MOTH (LBAM) PROGRAM IS A FRAUD FOR MONEY.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) did not make the right decision. Rather, they were forced to stop the aerial spray if they wanted to further attempt to get this unnecessary, ridiculous and completely FRAUDULENT program to continue.
The moth is a non-issue doing “NO CROP DAMAGE” per the CDFA’s own Draft Environmental Impact Report (regardless of CDFA’s false claims of damage in the press). Legitimate science shows that the moth has been in California for close to 50 years, not “Just arrived” as CDFA fabricated to put a scare into central valley farmers.
The CDFA has ground equipment to “SATURATE” the air with the same pesticides and synthetic chemicals that they had planned to do so with aerial spray. And not on conventional farmland, but in communities throughout the entire state where people live, attempt to breathe and raise families.
This program has a primary purpose to bring $100 Million of taxpayer funds EVERY YEAR for up to 30 years to the budget of CDFA. Then most of those funds will be distributed to large corporate privileged insider chemical companies for Pesticide Contracts that are 100% unnecessary.
CDFA used the generic “Invasive Pest” hysteria that it would take over the United States, when that simply does not apply for this moth. The moth has nearly identical brothers and sisters and cousins already living here and after hearing about this moth for five years now and being here for about 50 years, it is already well balanced as one of the thousands of background insects in the California Environment.
If you have heard the false stories of LBAM damage, yes the stories are convincing when repeated over and over again. But contact the Agriculture Commissioner Office in the county where the damage was told and you will find out that there is NO DOCUMENTATION of any damage in any county in the State of California.
These people did not make the right decision. The top management at the CDFA who have perpetuated this fraud should be placed in prison for the fiscal crimes and moral crimes against taxpayers, children and the complete population of California.