Items of Interest from the Caribbean

The red palm mite (Raoiella indica) is found in India, Egypt, Israel, Mauritius, Reunion, Sudan, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates.  The mite infests several ornamental and fruit-producing palm species.  In 2004, this pest was detected in Martinique and, more recently, in Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.  In November 2006, this pest was found in Puerto Rico.  It is spreading rapidly and is expected to establish in Florida and other subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere.

And on February 1, EPA announced a legal victory against Martex Farms, a Puerto Rican company, for violating the worker protection provisions of U.S. pesticide laws.  The company has been ordered to pay a total penalty of $92,620, which is the second highest penalty ever assessed under EPA's worker protection standard.  “This is an important legal win for EPA and a major step forward for environmental enforcement,” said Granta Nakayama, assistant administrator for EPA's enforcement and compliance program.  “We will continue enforcing EPA's regulations to protect agricultural workers from unnecessary exposure to pesticides.”

On January 19, EPA's Administrative Law Judge office found Martex liable for 170 violations of EPA's worker protection standards, and ruled that Martex failed to display specific pesticide application information for its agricultural workers and pesticide handlers, failed to provide them with decontamination materials, and failed to provide handlers with personal protective equipment.  The ruling reaffirms the requirement that every handler applying pesticides must be provided with personal protection equipment.  (EPA OPP Update, 2/2/07).