Malathion Controversy

It is hard to believe that the cast of “Cheers,” a group of people who week after week glamorize alcohol usage and open sexual activity, could oppose the aerial applications of malathion (Jan. 24). There is no known documentation of illness or death attributable to malathion usage in this way, but there are plenty of cases directly related to unwise alcohol use and sexually transmitted diseases. They seem to be worried about the effects of malathion on their children, yet care little about the children of farm workers and farmers whose livelihoods would be lost if the Medfly ruined state agriculture.

I would like to believe that all of these starlets who have been making public appearances against treatments for the Medfly were not fully informed as to the critical need to control this pest and the economic impact if we fail. Have any of them talked to the Department of Food and Agriculture to fully comprehend the problem before taking a stand?

Most of us in commercial agriculture understand people’s concerns, and we truly appreciate the inconvenience aerial spraying of malathion may be causing many in the L.A. Basin, but your inconvenience is most likely saving hundreds of thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions in income for California. If this pest is not controlled, these same celebrities should be prepared to do “Farm-Aid” concerts in different agricultural areas of California.

FRED LoBUE JR.

Citrus Farmer

Lindsay, Calif.