State drops plan to spray for moth

State officials Thursday abruptly canceled California’s aerial spraying program to combat a crop-eating moth in urban areas, after months of public uproar over its unclear effects on the environment and human health.

Secretary of Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura announced that the state had abandoned all plans to send up pesticide-spraying planes to fight the light brown apple moth in cities and towns, including those in the densely populated San Francisco Bay Area, which was scheduled for treatment this fall.

“I know there’s concern out there and we want to be able to address that,” Kawamura told reporters.