June 2004

Pesticide Potpourri

  • wpdoc1.gifMore than 81 percent of schools and child care centers have failed to comply with a Massachusetts state law that requires all of these establishments to provide state officials with integrated pest management plans. The plans outline detailed information on the pesticides they plan to apply and the individuals who will apply them. The law also requires parental notification two days prior to application. A spokesman for the state’s auditor speculated that few schools may be aware of the reporting requirements. The audit also blamed the failure partly on recent state budget cuts that reduced the funding for the pesticide bureau by over a third since the law took effect. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/31/04).
  • Monsanto's escalating fight with Delta and Pine Land Co. (DPL) could result in DPL being unable to sell popular varieties of genetically altered seed like Bollgard® and Roundup® Ready. Monsanto announced in May that it intended to end licensing agreements with DPL. Monsanto maintains that DPL has failed to calculate and collect royalty payments and has given its gene technology to an unlicensed party. Monsanto filed a request for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association, saying attempts over several years to settle the issue had been unsuccessful. (Knight-Ridder Tribune, 6/2/04)
  • wpe10005.gifIn mid-May, a Louisiana judge approved the $45 million settlement between users of Icon® (fipronil) and the manufacturer reached in March. The judge set aside 40 percent ($18 million) of the settlement for attorneys’ fees, which is SLIGHTLY higher than the average rate. (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/24/04).
  • bs00330_.gif In a case dating back over three years, The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled against a Saskatchewan farmer, supporting the concept that companies can hold patents on plants. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled Monsanto can hold the patent on its Roundup® Ready canola. The company alleged Percy Schmeiser grew the patented canola seeds without paying for them, therefore infringing on the company's patent. Schmeiser argued the canola seed blew onto his property without his knowledge from a nearby farmer's truck, although most all of his field was planted in the variety. He has said he tried to kill the plant with a herbicide, saying the plant "polluted" his fields. The Supreme Court of Canada has already ruled against patenting a higher life form in the case of the Harvard mouse. The court ruled the mouse was a higher life form and could not be patented. In 2002, the Federal Court of Appeal upheld an earlier ruling that found Schmeiser guilty of illegally planting the Monsanto canola on his property. He was ordered to pay $175,000 in damages, plus court costs. In 2003, the government of Ontario intervened in the Supreme Court case, saying it has "important implications for the development of public policy in Ontario including the delivery of health care to its residents." Ontario argues a gene molecule can be patented, but not the genetic information within the molecule. (CBC News, 5/21/04).
  • 40646_wallpaper280.jpgThe National Agricultural Aviation Association released in May the results of a survey that addressed aerial application. The results from approximately 600 applicators indicated that 71 percent of the pesticides were mixed and loaded by someone other than the pilot, and 76 percent used closed mixing/loading systems. With regard to guidance, 92 percent of pilots used GPS, while only 4 percent used human flaggers. The top three crops with the largest maximum number of acres treated per day were cotton (2,145 acres/day), forest (1,481 acres/day), and rice (1,344 acres/day). (Pesticide & Toxic Chemical News, 5/17/04).
  • EPA has developed a new web page that provides a consolidated list of active, plant-incorporated protectant (PIP) experimental use permits (EUPs). The listing provides states and EPA Regions with a quick resource on which states are listed in federally approved PIP EUPs. The new web page is also intended to provide public interest groups and interested citizens with easier access to information on approved PIP EUPs. The direct links to EPA dockets provide more specific information. Plant-Incorporated Protectants are pesticidal substances produced by plants and the genetic material necessary for the plant to produce the substance. EPA issues EUPS to allow necessary information/data to be generated before registering a PIP. The new page is available on EPA's site at: www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/pips/current_pip_eups.htm (EPA OPP Update, 6/14/04). 
  • 7609.35099720065.gifBeginning next January, low-carbohydrate dieters can add potatoes to their plates, according to researchers at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). The new low-carb spud has thirty percent fewer carbohydrates than the standard Russet baking potato, containing about 13 grams of carbohydrate compared to 19 grams in Russets. Chad Hutchinson, assistant professor of horticulture with the IFAS, said five seasons of evaluation in his research program at the University of Florida showed the spud can handle Florida weather extremes, such as high temperatures and dry weather. The potato was initially developed by HZPC, a Dutch seed company. "Although potatoes are not part of the Atkins diet, the fact of the matter is that potatoes contain no fat, and they are a good source of fiber, protein and vitamins. They have vitamin C and B-6, and they are low in sodium and high in potassium. And, potato skins are an excellent source of fiber," said Hutchinson. In addition to a lower level of carbohydrates, the new variety has a shorter growing season and can be harvested in 65-75 days, thus allowing for spring and fall crops. The potato has some resistance to greening, and, with a skin that develops early, it can resist mechanical damage incurred on the way to stores. The name of the new tuber has yet to be determined, but it will be marketed as a premium, gourmet potato, and is expected to expand Florida's $120 million potato industry. (Institute of Food Technologists’ Weekly Newsletter, 6/9/04).  
  • 01135s.jpgTwo citrus growers, both members of Florida's Citrus Canker Technical Advisory Task Force, were cited as telling colleagues the state was not cracking down hard enough on harvest workers who don't decontaminate themselves and equipment before entering a grove, calling for tougher enforcement of regulations, including more $1,000 fines. John Barben, an Avon Park grower, was quoted as saying, "It's a joke to them," regarding the attitude of many harvesting crews toward the state's canker decontamination regulations. "The (citrus) industry is not doing all it could or should." Dick Crockett, general manager of Bryan Paul Citrus in LaBelle and a task force co-chairman, said widespread violations would continue until inspectors from the FDACS start fining more violators. The Assistant Director of the Division of Plant Industry, the state Agriculture Department agency responsible for enforcing canker regulations, was cited as saying that last year state inspectors issued 160 warnings and 25 violations for violating canker decontamination regulations during 87,000 inspections in Florida's commercial groves. Crockett asked how many inspections occur at 5:30 A.M., when most harvest crews arrive in the groves. "I can tell you inspections are not made during those times," replied the Assistant Director. In quarantine areas, decontamination must occur upon entering and leaving a grove. (The Ledger, Lakeland, FL 6/9/04).

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