To: The ******** City
Council orÖ..
From:
Re: Resolution
opposing the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S.
Department of Food and Agricultureís (USDA) pesticide program to attempt to
eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth
Date: Spring,2008
Whereas, the Light
Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) is a pest subject to Federal and State quarantine and
eradication orders; and
Whereas, there is a
claimed presence of Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) in
Whereas, the CDFA
plans to expand the LBAM pesticide program which began in 2007, to
Whereas, pesticide
applications have repeatedly been shown in the past to cause unintended,
sometimes unpredictable, and often serious human health effects; and
Whereas, pesticide
applications have repeatedly been shown in the past to upset natural ecosystem
balance in sometimes unpredictable and often catastrophic ways; and
Whereas, botanists
and entomologists have testified that pheromones, pesticides, and even sticky
traps may threaten non-target organisms, including similar yet not fully
understood moth species whose importance in the ecosystem is not yet fully
understood; and
Whereas residents,
workers, students and visitors to Berkeley, and people around the world, have
recognized that the CDFA and USDA have manufactured a crisis and claimed an
emergency exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in
order to aerial spray without conducting an Environmental Impact Report (EIR);
and
Whereas, the state
has confirmed that it will produce an EIR after the resumption of aerial and
ground pesticide applications; and
Whereas, the use of
toxic chemicals results in reliance over time on more chemicals; and
Whereas, exotic plant
experts, Dr. Daniel Harder and Jeff Rosendale, have testified and reported that
purported damage attributed to the LBAM in New Zealand occurred only prior to
2001, and once the pesticide regime was stopped, the LBAM ceased to be a
problem as LBAM predators which had been killed by pesticides were allowed to
regenerate and keep the LBAM naturally-controlled; and
Whereas, according to
the Hawaiíi Department of Agriculture, the LBAM is not considered a significant
pest but may even be considered beneficial, as a control measure for invasive
gorse and blackberry; and
Whereas, biologists
have testified that the LBAM is unlikely to be eradicable; and
Whereas, UC Davis
entomologist James R. Carey has testified that the range over which LBAM has
been detected in California indicates that it has been established in the state
for some time; and
Whereas, the CDFA has
stated that no physical crop damage has been attributed to LBAM; and
Whereas, the risk of
economic damage alone does not justify the health and environmental risk of
pesticide applications; and
Whereas, farmers have
suffered economic damage not due to the presence of the LBAM on their farms,
but due to the damage caused by the Stateís demands of extensive handling of
delicate crops in search for the LBAM; and
Whereas, Organic
farmers have suffered economic damage due to CDFA interfering with, and further
diluting, Organic industry standards by allowing synthetic chemically-treated
crops to continue to be labeled Certified Organic, resulting in consumers
seeking produce from outside of application zones; and
Whereas, nursery
owners have suffered economic damage not due to the presence of the LBAM in
their nurseries, but due to temporary closure during and after pesticide
applications, and the threat of permanent closure for refusal to comply with
the pesticide programís pesticides protocol; and
Whereas, the CDFA has
stated that, residents cannot refuse pesticide applications at their homes and
properties; and
Whereas, hundreds
reported health problems following pesticide applications, including headaches,
gastro-intestinal pain, rashes, reproductive system irregularities including
post-menopausal resumption of menses, asthma attacks and difficulty breathing,
including respiratory arrest in an eleven month-old baby; and
Whereas, sicknesses
reported were consistent with expected effects of ingredients of pesticides
applied; and
Whereas, CDFA has not
addressed the synergistic effects of combined chemicals, most of which are kept
undisclosed, protected as ìproprietaryî by trade secret laws, are frequently
far more toxic than the active ingredients, and are specifically designed to
interact synergistically to achieve greater toxicity than any chemical by
itself; and
Whereas, the
pesticides that are part of this program are associated with gastro-intestinal
illness, are harmful if absorbed through skin, are neurotoxic, carcinogenic,
endocrine-disrupting, chromosome-damaging, cause damage to the immune and
central nervous systems, hearing and memory loss, leukemia, genetic damage, and
are associated with birth defects; and
Whereas, the
pesticides that are part of this program are toxic to beneficial insects such
as bees, ladybugs, parasitic wasps, including the Trichogramma (which is part
of this program), non-targeted moths, as well as fish, oysters and other marine
mollusks, a wide variety of other aquatic organisms, birds, cats, other
mammals, and even plants; and
Whereas, other environmental
impacts following pesticide applications were reported, such as the death of
pets who died of identical symptoms to their affected guardians; and
Whereas, birds and
honeybees disappeared for lengths of time after pesticide applications from gardens
they frequented previously; and
Whereas, a red tide
developed, more dramatic than any in the area in at least 40 years, blamed on
surfactants consistent with inert ingredients in pesticides, resulting in the
death of hundreds of birds; and
Whereas, pilots
employed by CDFA to apply pesticides mistakenly sprayed outside of designated
application zones; and
Whereas, the
Whereas, The
Whereas, complicity
in the commission of a crime against humanity as set forth in Principle Vl of
the Nuremberg Principles is a crime under international law; and
Whereas, claims of
safety of synthetic chemicals classified as pesticides is illegal, but CDFA
persists in calling some of the pesticides used in this program safe; and
Whereas, the burden
of proof of safety must reside with the pesticide manufacturers; proponents;
executors; and applicators; and
Whereas the State has
relied almost entirely on its own scientists to address concerns about the LBAM
pesticide program and has not employed independent, outside experts to evaluate
and support the program nor address issues in a direct and impartial manner;
and
Whereas Emeritus
Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology Richard Philp testified that the USDA
and EPA documents ìare suggestive of a poor understanding of basic
pharmacological and toxicological principlesî; and
Whereas the City of
Whereas the City of
Whereas, CDFA insists
that local governments have no control over this programís implementation; and
Whereas, the people
residing within and visiting the boundaries of those local governments depend
on protection by elected representatives; and
Now, therefore be it
resolved and ordered that the ******* City Council opposes the USDA/CDFA
pesticide program to eradicate the LBAM; and
Now, therefore be it
resolved and ordered that the ******* City Council demands that the USDA
downgrade the pest classification of LBAM to reflect the lack of risk it poses.
Documentation for Resolution opposing the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Food and Agricultureís (USDA) pesticide
program to attempt to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth
Pheromone Search - 942
http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/Pheromone%20Search.pdf
Pheromone Trap Colour Determines Catch of Non-target
Insects -
http://ww.nzpps.org/journal/53/nzpp53_216.pdf
LBAM Status report from New Zealand by Dr. Daniel Harder and Jeff Rosendale - March 6, 2008 http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a27/pdf/HarderNZReportFINAL.pdf
Buckwheat study
showing that flowering buckwheat sown in grape fields, attracts parasitic wasps
and other beneficial insects, and extends the food supply of insect predators
of the LBAM caterpillar, by days to over a month, also extending their
effectiveness in managing the moth http://www.vineyardshop.com.au/modules/news/newsview.aspx?NewsID=TVSN0337
List of natural
enemies of the LBAM http://www.hortnet.co.nz/key/keys/info/enemies/lba-enem.htm
Hawaii Department of
Agriculture Press Release in response to USDA quarantine ñ May 2007 ñ LBAM
beneficial in some cases
UC Davis entomologist
James R. Carey statements regarding eradicability
http://forum.stopthespray.org/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=61
Dr. Careyís
Presentation to the State Assembly Legislature Committee on Agriculture ñ March
2008
http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a27/pdf/AssemblyAg_Committee_LBAM2.pdf
Organicís Organics
- on the natural food industry seeking
organics grown outside the spray zones
http://www.metroactive.com/metro-santa-cruz/12.12.07/nuz-0750.html
Blue Bamboo nursery forced to close http://www.bohemian.com/metro-santa-cruz/06.27.07/moth-0726.html
Ý
Full report of 2007 health complaints including survey of
impact on homeless residents of
No Spray Zone overview of Btk ñ used to hose down
neighborhoods and private gardens
http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/No%20Spray%20Zone%20paper%20on%20Btk.PDF
Toxicological profile for Btk by Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides http://www.pesticide.org/btk.pdf
Isomate LBAM Plus Twist Ties ñ manufacturerís MSDS - ìHarmful
if absorbed through skinî ñ 250 per acre, 40 per property ñ low hanging in easy
reach of children
http://www.pacificbiocontrol.com/Light%20Brown%20Apple%20Moth%20-%20LBAM_files/MSDS-LBAM.pdf
Dangers of
Permethrin Fact Sheet by Caroline Cox ñ to be painted on minimum of
3000 utility poles and trees per square mile http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Permethrin.htm
Most recent toxicological profile for Permethrin http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/Permethrin%20Safety%20Review.htm
USDA
quarantine exemption request to use a new chemical, which has not
been registered by the EPA. This is the ìpheromoneî, the ìactiveî ingredient in
CheckMate, the synthetic ìpheromoneî used in aerial applications. http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/USDA%20quarantine%20exemption%20request.PDF
Most recent indepth toxicological profile for CheckMate http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/Checkmate%20Chemicals%20Safety.htm
Toxicological profile of Chlorpyrifos by NCAP ñ forced on
nurseries http://www.pesticide.org/chlorpyrifos.pdf
Chlorpyrifos Fact Sheet by Chemical Watch and Beyond
Pesticides
http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Chlorpyrifos.pdf
Unidentified Inert Ingredients in Pesticides: Implications for Human and Environmental Health - Cox and Surgan http://www.ehponline.org/members/2006/9374/9374.pdf
Moss Landing Mystery
Spill ñ Discussion about what killed the birds that washed ashore
http://forum.stopthespray.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=83
CDFA letter to property owners of areas sprayed accidentally http://www.ksbw.com/download/2007/1103/14501006.pdfÝ
Nuremberg Code ñ Directives for Human Experimentation -
relevant to CheckMate, the synthetic ìpheromoneî containing pesticide, which
has been untested on humans, and therefore its use over human population
constitutes experimentation without consent. http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/guidelines/nuremberg.html
Declaration of Richard Philp,
toxicology professor, for county of Santa Cruz suit http://eastbaypesticidealert.org/philp.html