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Department of Pesticide Regulation Announces Work Group to Identify Ways to Grow Strawberries without Fumigants

SACRAMENTO – The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is convening a diverse work group of scientists and other specialists to develop a five-year action plan to accelerate the development of management tools and practices to control soil-borne pests in strawberry fields without fumigants, Director Brian R. Leahy announced today.

"California’s strawberry industry urgently needs practical and cost-effective ways to grow strawberries without soil fumigants," Leahy said. "Our Nonfumigant Strawberry Production Work Group has a tall task. We want a full spectrum of production methods that control soil-borne diseases, weeds and other pests while protecting human health and the environment. This group can also help us develop a strategy on how to best use available fumigant tools going forward."

The 10-member work group is charged with producing a plan by late fall under the guidance of a professional facilitator. Leahy credited California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Matt Rodriguez for suggesting a work group to tackle the complex issue of maintaining the viability of the state’s $2.3 billion strawberry industry in the face of increasing restrictions on fumigant use and the phase-out of the fumigant methyl bromide.

California grows 88 percent of the nation’s strawberries. Fumigants are gaseous pesticides injected into the soil of agricultural fields prior to planting.

"We applaud the strawberry industry for its long history of looking for and implementing farming practices that reduce pesticide use," Leahy said. "It’s imperative we speed up the timetable for more production tools in the face of tougher fumigation restrictions and urban development near agricultural land."

The urgency for nonfumigant methods is underscored by:

• Methyl bromide, the primary fumigant used in strawberry production, was technically phased out by 2005 under an international treaty to protect the earth’s ozone layer. However, its limited use is allowed under "critical-use exemptions" through 2014.
• Strawberry growers are replacing methyl bromide with other fumigants, but their use is limited by health-protective measures.
• Growers face increasing costs and loss of land available for production due to buffer zone requirements and other restrictions to protect farm workers and people living near fields. Additional state and federal restrictions on fumigants are expected by the end of the year that will further affect production costs.
• Methyl iodide, a fumigant touted as a replacement for methyl bromide, was pulled from the California marketplace by its manufacturer, Arysta LifeScience, in March.

The work group will complement DPR’s research partnership with the California Strawberry Commission. The focus of the $500,000, three-year research project announced in March is growing strawberries in peat or substances other than soil.

In addition, the Brown Administration’s proposed budget includes $500,000 annually for grants that DPR would award for researching nonfumigant production practices. If approved, the first funding cycle for this program would be fiscal year 2013-14. Up to 10 research projects could be funded for up to three years.

The work group, research partnership and grant program are paid for out of the special fund generated by fees that support DPR’s programs. The group includes the following individuals:

Chair:

Brian R. Leahy, director, Department of Pesticide Regulation

Members:

Greg Browne, U.S. Department of Agriculture plant pathologist and chair of USDA’s methyl bromide area-wide program in Davis

Bill Chism, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency biologist, Washington D.C.

Steve Fennimore, University of California, Davis Extension weed specialist, Salinas

Anne Katten, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Sacramento

Karen Klonsky, University of California, Davis Extension economist

Rod Koda, Strawberry grower, Watsonville

Dan Legard, California Strawberry Commission research director, Watsonville

Pam Marrone, Founder and chief executive officer, Marrone Bio Innovations, Davis

Gary Obenauf, Agricultural consultant and chair of methyl bromide alternatives conference, Fresno

Carol Shennan, University of California professor of agroecology and director at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, Santa Cruz

The work group will hold its first meeting this summer; the date has not yet been scheduled.

One of five departments and boards within the California Environmental Protection Agency, DPR regulates the registration, sale and use of pesticides and fosters reduced-risk pest management to protect people and the environment. More information about DPR is posted at www.cdpr.ca.gov.

For more information about the California Strawberry Commission, a state government agency that represents 500 growers, please visit: www.calstrawberry.com/.

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