Malathion Spraying

No one is more interested or concerned in ridding Riverside County of the Medfly than farmers and ranchers. The Medfly is not only a threat to farms and our food supply, it is a clear and present danger to our state’s economy. It is evident that some residents do not fully understand all of the risks if eradication is not achieved quickly.

Some residents have expressed concern about helicopters flying over urban neighborhoods. They are confused and frightened. Opportunists and others have been quick to grab the headlines and notoriety by feeding on those fears. They have rejected a mountain of scientific study that shows malathion bait to be a safe and effective eradication tool.

What is most needed at this stage is a healthy dose of factual information to eradicate fears about malathion and the Medfly. The aerial bait program consists of applying a mixture of protein bait and 1.2 ounces of malathion per acre, about one-sixth of an ounce of malathion on an average city lot of 60 by 100 feet. This amount of malathion is half the amount used in the last bait spray program in Los Angeles. The malathion bait is applied in particles that are sticky and that people cannot inhale. As with any chemical, safety depends on the amount and manner in which it is used. Compelling evidence shows that the aerial malathion bait program is safe.

Much of the concern about the Medfly eradication program has been grounded in the perceived risks associated with malathion bait. But what are the risk if we don’t use the proven effective and safe eradication tool?

The fact is the amount of malathion being used in the current eradication effort is minuscule compared to the amount of pesticides that would be applied each year to combat the Medfly statewide if eradication efforts do not proceed.

Back-yard gardens would have to be treated to keep produce free of maggots. Integrated pest management programs designated to reduce pesticide use on farms would suffer severe setbacks. The threatened embargo of all California produce by Japan would be the first of many dominoes to fall on the state’s economy. Other countries and other states would likely close their doors to our produce. That would hurt not just farmers, but the estimated 10% of the state’s total jobs that depend on agriculture.

We cannot lose sight of the fact that the Medfly is not solely an agricultural threat, it is a threat to our way of life in California.

We are in this fight together, farmers and non-farmers. Malathion bait spraying is not for the benefit of California farmers at the expense of urban residents in Riverside County. It must be continued for the environment, public health and the economic good of the entire state.

BOB L. VICE, President

California Farm Bureau

Sacramento