Using Production Tools Safely to Protect Our Communities

The safe and judicious use of crop protection strategies by farmers of organic and conventional crops is an imperative priority to protect our families, our community, our food, farm workers and the environment. In fact, California has the most stringent standards in the nation when it comes to the approval and use of organic and conventional pesticides. An integral part of California’s rigorous process is science and research, which forms the basis of regulatory action regarding pesticides. We all live in this community; our kids go to the same schools and many farmers live where they work. This is strong motivation to farm safely.

Recently we learned of legal action taken against farmers who applied pesticides in accordance with all regulatory standards. GSA encourages continual science-based evaluation of crop protection tools by federal and state agencies. However, we must voice our concern when farmers face legal challenges where all precautions were taken and appropriate pesticide management strategies and exposure prevention procedures were closely followed.

For decades, farmers of organic and conventional crops in our region have relied on integrated pest management (IPM) strategies to produce high quality foods and protect their crops. IPM systems prioritize biological controls, like encouraging the prevalence of beneficial insects, the use cover crops, planting vegetative barriers, to control pests and diseases. Furthermore, farmers rely on licensed pest control advisors (PCAs) to help determine pest and disease management strategies. PCAs are state-licensed and function much like a doctor in prescribing an appropriate treatment after assessing a plant pest and disease symptom or condition. For both organic and conventional production, the application of a pesticide is a last resort taken to protect the crop from significant damage.

However, for farmers who exercised this care and caution and followed all federal, state and local laws to face legal challenges years later sets a concerning precedent for agriculture, other businesses as well as residents while doing nothing to advance health and safety in our region today. In fact, these legal challenges will likely not result in any positive benefits for our community, except potentially for the attorneys involved.

It is the responsibility of farmers to continually improve production practices and safety on the farm. But farmers also rely on science and regulatory guidance. This recent legal action disregards both. Where does this leave us?