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SPRAY: UC Davis Scientists Ask USDA To Halt Eradication Program
79 days to onset of spraying... and counting...
Dr. James Carey and two of his respected UC Davis colleagues have written an official letter to the head of the USDA, requesting that he urge CDFA's A.G. Kawamura to revisit his plan to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth. These men of science point out that there is no evidence that the LBAM presents any greater threat than the dozens of other leaf rollers that live in California, and also that eradication is not scientifically
possible.
There you have it, on official letterhead, from U.C. Davis to the USDA.
Read the U.C. Davis Letter: http://www.veganreader.com/schaferletter.pdf
Dr. James Carey and two of his respected UC Davis colleagues have written an official letter to the head of the USDA, requesting that he urge CDFA's A.G. Kawamura to revisit his plan to eradicate the Light Brown Apple Moth. These men of science point out that there is no evidence that the LBAM presents any greater threat than the dozens of other leaf rollers that live in California, and also that eradication is not scientifically
possible.
There you have it, on official letterhead, from U.C. Davis to the USDA.
Read the U.C. Davis Letter: http://www.veganreader.com/schaferletter.pdf
May 28, 2008
Edward Schafer, Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Schafer:
We are writing to express our concerns with the eradication program in California directed against the light brown apple moth (LBAM) that the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched last year in Monterey County and that is scheduled to expand to other LBAM-infested counties in mid-August. We submit that: (1) the data supporting the argument that LBAM will become a pest that is more economically important than the species of tortricid leafrollers that are already in California is unconvincing; and (2) there is no scientific evidence that using the method of mating disruption via pheromones either alone or with augmentative methods (e.g. release of natural enemies) is capable of eradicating any insect population.
Although we do not present ourselves as experts on the biology and ecology of LBAM, as senior entomology faculty at the University of California, Davis we do claim collective expertise in areas central to the proposed eradication program including invasion biology (Carey), insect pheromones (Hammock), and integrated pest management (Zalom). In light of discussions among ourselves as well as with many of our entomological colleagues in California, we are perplexed by the claim by the USDA and CDFA that success (i.e. eliminating all LBAM populations throughout the state) using the proposed pheromone-based eradication program against LBAM in the state is achievable.
We respectfully ask that you urge CDFA Director A. G. Kawamura, his key staff members, and the USDA
administrators who are directly involved with the LBAM program to revisit their decision to proceed with the proposed
eradication program in California.
Sincerely yours,
James R. Carey
Professor and Former Vice Chair
Department of Entomology
Director, NIH-UCD
Biodemography of Aging Program
University of California, Davis
Frank G. Zalom
Professor and Former Vice Chair
Department of Entomology
Former Director, UC Statewide
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Program
University of California, Davis
Bruce D. Hammock
Distinguished Professor
Department of Entomology
UCD Cancer Research Center
Director NIEHS-UCD Superfund Basic
Research Program
University of California, Davis
cc:
CDFA Director A. G. Kawamura
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Senator Diane Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
Congressman Sam Farr
=====
http://www.lbamspray.com
Edward Schafer, Secretary of Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Secretary Schafer:
We are writing to express our concerns with the eradication program in California directed against the light brown apple moth (LBAM) that the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) launched last year in Monterey County and that is scheduled to expand to other LBAM-infested counties in mid-August. We submit that: (1) the data supporting the argument that LBAM will become a pest that is more economically important than the species of tortricid leafrollers that are already in California is unconvincing; and (2) there is no scientific evidence that using the method of mating disruption via pheromones either alone or with augmentative methods (e.g. release of natural enemies) is capable of eradicating any insect population.
Although we do not present ourselves as experts on the biology and ecology of LBAM, as senior entomology faculty at the University of California, Davis we do claim collective expertise in areas central to the proposed eradication program including invasion biology (Carey), insect pheromones (Hammock), and integrated pest management (Zalom). In light of discussions among ourselves as well as with many of our entomological colleagues in California, we are perplexed by the claim by the USDA and CDFA that success (i.e. eliminating all LBAM populations throughout the state) using the proposed pheromone-based eradication program against LBAM in the state is achievable.
We respectfully ask that you urge CDFA Director A. G. Kawamura, his key staff members, and the USDA
administrators who are directly involved with the LBAM program to revisit their decision to proceed with the proposed
eradication program in California.
Sincerely yours,
James R. Carey
Professor and Former Vice Chair
Department of Entomology
Director, NIH-UCD
Biodemography of Aging Program
University of California, Davis
Frank G. Zalom
Professor and Former Vice Chair
Department of Entomology
Former Director, UC Statewide
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Program
University of California, Davis
Bruce D. Hammock
Distinguished Professor
Department of Entomology
UCD Cancer Research Center
Director NIEHS-UCD Superfund Basic
Research Program
University of California, Davis
cc:
CDFA Director A. G. Kawamura
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Senator Diane Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi
Congressman Sam Farr
=====
http://www.lbamspray.com
For more information:
http://www.veganreader.com/
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To sum up all the needless pesticide spraying (apple moth, west nile, etc..) in one concept;
Pest species (apple moth, mosquitos, etc..) evolve resistance faster than larger species (beneficial predator insects, frogs, humans, etc..) are able to adapt to the toxins..
The reason is multifactorial, mostly a combination of pest species having faster reproductive life cycles and can evolve resistant offspring faster than the specific brand of pesticide can kill the adults. The beneficial predator insects (ie., dragonflies, ladybugs, etc..) are less able to breed resistant offspring, and die off in larger numbers, disrupting the predator-prey balance and thereby creating larger populations of now resistant pest species with fewer beneficial predators around to reduce their numbers.
Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxins in other predator species like frogs and birds is another factor in the die off of beneficial predator species. Any pest species disoriented by the pesticide toxin can be consumed by larger predators and the toxin is magnified up along the food chain, as was the case with DDT and bald eagles as discovered by Rachel Carson..
Compound this with the effects of the pesticide toxin on mammals such as humans, dogs and cats who have absorbant tissues that accumulate the pesticide toxin over their significantly longer life spans. This results in larger mammals developing cancer and other adverse side effects of the pesticides..
Whatever method is used, outright killing of adults, larvae or mating disruption with synthetic spray chemicals involves additional toxic "inert" ingredients that are capable of disrupting the life cycles of other beneficial insect species. If we don't allow our beneficial insect species to fully recover to their pre-spraying population sizes, we will forever be dependent on increasingly toxic pesticide sprays for future resistant populations. This of course is what the petrochemical corporations would most desire, as then we'll have a plague of resistant pest species with no beneficial predator populations in sight..
That is the pesticide treadmill as it applies to west nile, apple moth and any other crop species, it's time to get off the pesticide treadmill and allow our beneficial insect populations to recover..
Pest species (apple moth, mosquitos, etc..) evolve resistance faster than larger species (beneficial predator insects, frogs, humans, etc..) are able to adapt to the toxins..
The reason is multifactorial, mostly a combination of pest species having faster reproductive life cycles and can evolve resistant offspring faster than the specific brand of pesticide can kill the adults. The beneficial predator insects (ie., dragonflies, ladybugs, etc..) are less able to breed resistant offspring, and die off in larger numbers, disrupting the predator-prey balance and thereby creating larger populations of now resistant pest species with fewer beneficial predators around to reduce their numbers.
Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of toxins in other predator species like frogs and birds is another factor in the die off of beneficial predator species. Any pest species disoriented by the pesticide toxin can be consumed by larger predators and the toxin is magnified up along the food chain, as was the case with DDT and bald eagles as discovered by Rachel Carson..
Compound this with the effects of the pesticide toxin on mammals such as humans, dogs and cats who have absorbant tissues that accumulate the pesticide toxin over their significantly longer life spans. This results in larger mammals developing cancer and other adverse side effects of the pesticides..
Whatever method is used, outright killing of adults, larvae or mating disruption with synthetic spray chemicals involves additional toxic "inert" ingredients that are capable of disrupting the life cycles of other beneficial insect species. If we don't allow our beneficial insect species to fully recover to their pre-spraying population sizes, we will forever be dependent on increasingly toxic pesticide sprays for future resistant populations. This of course is what the petrochemical corporations would most desire, as then we'll have a plague of resistant pest species with no beneficial predator populations in sight..
That is the pesticide treadmill as it applies to west nile, apple moth and any other crop species, it's time to get off the pesticide treadmill and allow our beneficial insect populations to recover..
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