Growers of Strawberries Defend Use of Fungicide

Labeling it as a ploy to rally support for farm-worker unionization, Ventura County strawberry farmers defended their use of the fungicide Captan on Thursday and downplayed allegations that it poses a significant health risk to field workers.

The comments came after a 13-member coalition, led by the United Farm Workers and the AFL-CIO, accused several growers in Santa Cruz and Monterey counties Wednesday of violating Proposition 65, a state law requiring that businesses inform workers about chemical hazards in the workplace. Specifically, the coalition accused the growers of failing to inform workers of the carcinogenic risk associated with prolonged Captan exposure.

“I’m out with the pickers every day, and I wouldn’t expose them to any dangers I wouldn’t take myself,” said Henry Ito, who, along with his brother, operates the Ito Brothers’ Farm in Oxnard. “Basically, this isn’t fair because they’re trying to give us bad publicity to get the workers organized.”

Captan is a chemical fungicide used to keep mold and other potentially damaging fungi from ravaging the delicate fruit. Both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state have determined Captan to be carcinogenic and have banned its use on more than 40 different crops.

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According to the Ventura County Agricultural Commission, Captan use has ballooned in the last several years. In 1992, the commission reported that 9,200 pounds of Captan was sprayed on county strawberry crops. By 1994, Captan use more than doubled to 21,425 pounds.

Strawberry production is the county’s second-largest cash crop and generates almost $150 million a year. There are more than 40 strawberry growers in the county who employ more than 10,000 seasonal workers.

Despite Captan’s possible danger, growers said it is vital for maintaining the stability and health of the strawberry industry. In fact, many said they depend on the substance as their sole safeguard against a crippling fungal onslaught.

“Even though it’s one of several chemicals we use, it’s certainly very important,” said Lucky Westwood of Rio Mesa Farms in El Rio. “It’s very effective for what we use it for.”

Despite the dramatic increase in use, the state’s Department of Pesticide Regulation recorded no Captan-related injuries or sickness in the county last year. Statewide, there were only two instances in which Captan dust irritated workers’ eyes.

“This is a calculated and astute move by the AFL-CIO and the UFW,” said Rex Laird, director the Ventura County Farm Bureau. “It’s no secret they’re targeting the strawberry industry, and they’re up against the wall to organize an effective campaign to organize the workers.”

Working together, the AFL-CIO and the UFW have been trying for the last year to organize a union in the strawberry industry. While their efforts have been largely limited to the Central Valley, they may soon expand the effort to Southern California, said Matt Grossman, spokesman and lobbyist for the UFW.

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Grossman acknowledged that the Captan issue is being used as a strategy to mobilize workers, but he said it is part of the unions’ mission to protect the welfare and eliminate the abuse and exploitation of seasonal workers.

“Captan is just the most recent example of farm worker abuse,” he said. “We believe the problem is widespread across the strawberry industry.”

Grossman said that if the problems outlined Wednesday aren’t remedied within 60 days, the coalition may sue growers for violating Proposition 65. If found in violation, the growers could be subject to a $2,500 fine for each worker exposed to the substance.