Countywide : Proposal to Double Medfly Traps Put Off

In response to objections raised by Supervisor Roger R. Stanton, Orange County agricultural officials have agreed to delay a proposal that would double the number of Medfly traps in the county.

The proposal, which involves approving a “plant pest prevention contract” with the state, was to have been considered by the Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting. Late Friday, however, Stanton circulated a letter to his colleagues registering his strong opposition to the contract.

“The item which is before us today is not a mandated program . . . but a discretionary ‘pilot program’ which would double the number of Medfly trap sites from approximately 1,500 to 3,000,” Stanton said in his letter. “It is logical to assume that an increase in trap sites would also increase the probability of trapping another Medfly and again subjecting the citizens of Orange County to repeated aerial sprayings of malathion.”