A number of area farmers cited in onion probe
By Larry Meyer - Argus Observer
Friday, April 6, 2007 11:43 AM PDT
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| Workers move down a row of onions in this autumn, 2006 photo near Ontario Wednesday, the Oregon Department of Agriculture delivered civil penalties to 19 onion growers in Malheur County in the wake of an investigation regarding the use of a restricted pesticide. |
ONTARIO - Nineteen separate onion producers in Malheur County have been assessed civil penalties totaling $112,480 in connection with the misuse of the restricted pesticide Furadan on onions during the 2006 growing season, according to an announcement issued Wednesday by the Oregon Department of Agriculture.
The penalties stem from an investigation and extensive sampling performed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Pesticides Division and Laboratory Services, ODA Director of Communications Bruce Pokarney said in a press release.
Individual penalties ranged from nearly $16,000 to just under $600 for a number of growers in the Ontario, Nyssa, Adrian, Vale and Weiser area.
“They have 10 days after they received the notice to appeal,” Pokarney said.
Furadan is one trade name for a chemical called carbofuran which is used to control insect pests on a variety of vegetable and field crops, but is not labeled for use on onions.
Despite the violations, no onions containing carbofuran residue entered the human food chain, Pokarney said.
“In our interviews a number of producers clearly admitted they used (Furadan) and knew the product was not labeled (for onions),” Dale Mitchell, ODA pesticide division manager, said. The view of some of the growers was that the chemical was more effective in controlling pests than other products, Mitchell said.
The ODA delivered penalties to:
— Van Schulthies, Nyssa, $15,984.
— B & B Custom Sprayer, Nyssa, $15,984.
— Bret Nielsen, Adrian, $15,984.
— Larry Kitamura, Ontario, $15,318.
— Craig Froerer, Nyssa, $10,693.
— Herb Haun, Weiser, $6,327.
— Jerry Mizuta, Ontario, $5,624.
— Craig Crawford, Ontario, $5,032.
— Randy Smith, Ontario, $4,218.
— Greg Panike, Ontario, $3,330.
— Paul Kesler, Nyssa, $3,330.
— Ken Laubacher, Ontario, $2,362.
— Kip Cindell, Adrian, $2,220.
— Scott Cruickshank, Ontario, $2,109.
— Michael McGourty, Brogan, $666.
— Gene Bair, Nyssa, $629.
— Dan Fulleton, Vale, $555.
The civil penalties were based on the number of the fields where Furadan was applied, Mitchell said. “Each was a separate distinct act,” he said.
The Idaho Department of Agriculture conducted its own separate investigation, and issued its own citations, but did not specify the penalties.
The notice of violations from the Idaho Department of Agriculture were issued to Froerer, Nyssa, and Cindell, Adrian, as well as Craig Weber, Alan and Leonard Weber, Parma; Gish, Grant and Tyler Amano, Weiser; Ernest Chandler, Weiser and Rick Michael, Weiser.
Documents from the Idaho Department of Agriculture, received through an Argus Observer public records request, showed that some of cited growers either denied applying Furadan to onions or said the chemical had gotten mixed with an approved chemical.
Under the Idaho Department of Agriculture’s program, the penalties were to be decided either at administrative hearings or at settlement meetings. Growers receiving the notices of violations had 14 days to respond.
Extensive market assurance testing was conducted by ODA and other laboratories last fall on onions in the valley with the encouragement and support of the onion grower and shipper associations in the region.
Results from that testing showed no detectable levels of carbofuran in the onion bulbs cleared for the market place.
“We looked at everybody’s onions in the county to move the product to market,” Pokarney said.
The onion growers were very cooperative in assisting in developing protocols for getting them tested, Mitchell said.
“The active component (in carbofuran) is carbamate,” Mitchell said, about carbofuran. “The Environmental Protection Agency is actively decertifying (carbamate pesticides) because of environmental risks.”
No additional carbamate products are being labeled or certified, he said.
Another sanction will be that onion crops for 2007 planted by the cited producers will all have to be tested before they can be marketed.
“(Their) planted onions will be embargoed until they are free of carbofuran,” Pokarney said.
No Dhimmi wrote on Aug 14, 2009 9:38 PM:
And this isn't "racist," because Islam is not a race, anymore than Communism or Nazism are races, both of which killed far fewer people than Islam.
Disgusting. "