New state fumigant restrictions on agriculture could affect growers, consumers

Strict pesticide regulations are in store for our ag industry, and experts say they’re stricter than the federal rules. They say not only will farmers feel them, but consumers could as well.

Chloropicrin is not a household name–but it is for the ag industry. It’s used to fumigate the fields before planting crops. It’s already regulated, but the state is looking to tighten its grip even more.

The Department of Pesticide Regulation sites health concerns for ag workers and civilians exposed to the fumigant as the driving force behind the clampdown.

“The fumigant has been used in California for over 50 years very successfully and very safely, and the exposures that have been taking place at this point and haven’t really caused major health concerns at this point,” said Norm Groot, Monterey County Farm Bureau executive director.

The regulations include narrowing the amount of land the fumigant can cover at any given time and larger buffer zones. Groot said this is overkill.

“We feel at this point we’ve safely done what the public has asked us to do, and to kind of go beyond that measure at this point really puts a hardship on the growers and additionally on the consumers and the price of the products start increasing,” Groot said.

“Here in Monterey County it won’t affect us a lot because we were already out ahead of those regulations,” said Bob Roach, assistant ag commissioner.

Roach said last year the commission started requiring growers to use a special tarp to keep the fumigant from spreading.

According to roach, we won’t start to feel these regulations until growers have to fumigate again which is done in the summer time.