Winter/Spring 2003

Welcome To Our Second Electronic Pesticide Bureau Newsletter.

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Settlement Reached With National Pest Control Company FQPA Reminder 2002 Mosquito Season Review USDA National Organic Standard Rights-of-Way Update Giant Hogweed 2003 Exam Schedule Staff Directory

Large Settlement Reached With National Pest Control Company.

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, with guidance and technical assistance from the Pesticide Bureau, reached a large settlement ($100,000) with a national pest control company (Terminix) after evidence was found indicating that consumers were being unnecessarily charged for pest control services (including exterior carpenter ant treatments) in the winter months. Click here to read our consumer advisory on this matter.

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FQPA Reminder (Diazinon):

This is just a reminder that as of December 31, 2002 a number of pesticide products containing the insecticide diazinon and bearing instructions for indoor uses are no longer available for retail sale or distribution (see: Table 1).  Use of existing stocks, previously purchased by applicators and homeowners, is permitted under the EPA’s existing stocks provisions. 

These registration cancellations are a part of the four-year voluntary phase out of diazinon products that began on December 1, 2000.  The phase out was initiated by the higher safety standards required under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).  Based on the new FQPA standards, EPA determined that uses of this organophosphate insecticide exceeded the Agency’s level of concern for the following exposures:

• exposure post application from residential use patterns;
• exposure to residential and agricultural handlers (those who mix, load and apply pesticides); and
• exposure to endangered species.

When complete, this voluntary phase out will have the effect of deleting approximately 75% of previous diazinon uses and will include the cancellation of the following diazinon registered use patterns:

• indoor residential uses;
• indoor non-residential uses;
• outdoor residential lawn and garden; and
• certain agricultural uses.

Registrants have agreed to buy back any products from retailers that remain after the cancellations are effective. 

For additional information see the following links:

• http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/diazinon.htm
• http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/op/fedreg.htm

  

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2002 Mosquito Season Review
By John Smith, Director of Norfolk County Mosquito Control.

The 2002 Mosquito season started in the usual fashion although spring brood larval populations were light due to below average precipitation over the winter and early spring months. As a result the early summer demand for mosquito control was minimal.

As the summer heated up, so too did the mosquito surveillance. All nine Mosquito Control Districts were asked by the State Department of Public Health to increase their surveillance in response to concerns over the return of the West Nile Virus. Each of the Districts was asked to expand their normal mosquito trapping to include gravid traps. Gravid traps are used to collect what are known as “container breeding species” which in short means any mosquito species which breeds in natural or artificial containers such as tree holes, rock pools, tires, rain gutters and virtually anything else which will hold water for more than five days. The Mosquito Control Districts have been asked to collect more of these mosquito species because it appears that these species are most likely involved in the cycling of the virus in the bird populations. These same species may also serve as possible bridge vectors which are responsible for transmitting the virus from birds to humans.

I recently attended the Northeastern Mosquito Control Association’s annual meeting in Mystic, Connecticut where there was considerable discussion about the West Nile Virus as well as the mosquito species which may be associated with it. The general conclusion was that, although the container species (especially the Culex species) appear to be involved, there still are many more questions than answers at this point. One of the main messages at this meeting was how important it is to remember that this virus was only discovered in the United States three years ago and it is impossible to predict how this virus will behave in the ecosystems of North American. It was good to know that so many qualified researchers from such esteemed Universities as Rutgers and Yale as well as from many of the Mosquito Control Programs and Health Departments are looking at this virus and how it behaves within the various hosts it infects.

As for Massachusetts, the mosquito season heated up toward the end of August with the discovery of areas where there were clusters of both West Nile Virus positive dead birds and positive mosquito pools. These areas included the Greater Boston area with concentrations north & west of Boston and, later on, south of Boston. More sporadic activity was noted across the state especially in areas along the Connecticut River. As predicted these hot spots eventually resulted in human infections of West Nile Fever toward the end of September and into October with at least one fatality in the northeastern end of my district. Fortunately the onset of cooler weather in October reduced the threat although recent data indicates that the virus may linger on and continue to be a threat even into early November if weather conditions remain mild.

Once again the Massachusetts Mosquito Control Districts in concert with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health will continue to upgrade their surveillance programs in order to be better prepared to collect as many mosquitoes as possible. We hope this increased surveillance this coming spring, summer, and fall will help us understand more clearly how this virus interacts with the various mosquito species in the Commonwealth. Hopefully this increased effort will result in a better knowledge of how the West Nile Virus cycles through the environment and that this knowledge will assist the Commonwealth in being better prepared to fine tune current vector control strategies.

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USDA Secretary Veneman Marks Implementation
OF USDA National Organic Standards

Article From USDA
Release No. 0453.02

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21, 2002 -- Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman today launched the implementation of USDA's national organic standards for agricultural products providing consistent labeling on products coast to coast.
"Today, when consumers see the USDA national organic seal on products, they will know that the products labeled organic will be consistent across the country," said Veneman. "Organic agriculture is increasing and organic farmers across the country have been looking forward to the release of these regulations with anticipation they will create consumer confidence in their products."

Developed from extensive industry input and hundreds of thousands of public comments, the standards go into effect Oct. 21. As of today, any organic agricultural product must meet USDA standards in order to be sold as "organic." Along with the national organic standards, USDA developed strict labeling rules to help consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. Consumers can tell organically produced food from conventionally produced food by looking at package labels and watching for signs in the supermarket.

"We're very pleased with the work that USDA employees and the Organic Standards Board have done over the years to finalize these regulations," said Veneman. "Today, consumers will begin to see the results of these efforts."

The USDA Organic Seal tells consumers that a product is at least 95 percent organic. Products with 70-95 percent organic ingredients can say so on the label (made with organic fruit, for example), but they can't display the seal.
"The focus on consumer awareness is just beginning," said A.J. Yates, administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Program. "To coincide with implementation of the standards, we have updated our website to make it more user-friendly and provide consumer information through a variety of avenues."
Consumers can access the information at www.ams.usda.gov/nop. In addition, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service has also upgraded its organic website www.fas.usda.gov/agx/organics/organics, which provides information and resources to organic food and beverage exporters.

Other USDA efforts in the organic arena include an Economic Research Service report released last month, "Recent Growth Patterns in the U.S. Organic Foods Market," that indicates that U.S. organic farmland has increased from approximately 1.4 to 2.4 million acres. The report can be accessed at http://www.ers.usda.gov

USDA is administering a $5-million, national cost-share program to help defray the costs of certification incurred by organic producers and handlers in all 50 states, the U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This program expands the original cost-share program that covered only producers and included only 15 states.

USDA will also set aside $3 million per year for fiscal years 2003-2007 to administer competitive research grants, largely through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. The research will focus on determining desirable traits for organic commodities; identifying marketing and policy constraints on the expansion of organic agriculture; and conducting advanced research on organic farms, including production, marketing and socioeconomic research.

The organic industry is growing between 20 and 25 percent annually, and has been for the last several years. U.S. retail sales of organic foods reached approximately $7.8 billion in 2000, with global sales topping $17.5 billion.

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Rights-of-Way Sensitive Area Materials List Update

The latest sensitive area materials list can be accessed from the Pesticide Bureau's website. Garlon 4 has been recently added back to the list. Krenite UT and Krenite S have been removed from the list because they are no longer registered for use in. The list also features links to factsheets on the active ingredients and can be accessed from the following link: http://www.state.ma.us/dfa/pesticides/rightofway/

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Giant Hogweed Confirmed in Massachusetts in 2002

Giant Hogweed was confirmed for the first time in Massachusetts in the summer of 2002.  The giant hogweed, a native plant of the Caucasus region of central Asia and can grow to 15 feet tall.  Along with being a potentially invasive species, the sap from this plant can cause severe skin irritation, blisters and swelling and contact with the eyes can cause temporary or permanent blindness.  The first plants were confirmed in the town of Grandville Mass. in July on a private farm.  The ensuing media attention resulted in numerous calls from concerned homeowners, gardeners & town officials.  A hogweed hotline was established to manage the sheer volume of calls coming in to DFA.  

Throughout the summer, plant inspectors from our department confirmed the presence of this noxious weed in several communities throughout the state.  This spring DFA plans to continue to monitor for this weed and begin an management program. To assist with our management program this growing season, we are asking the public and those in the green industry to report suspected Giant Hogweed to the Pesticide Bureau. Click here to go to our Giant Hogweed webpage to obtain pictures and information which will help you identify Giant Hogweed. If after reviewing the webpage, you suspect sighting a Giant Hogweed plant, please report it through our online reporting form.  .   

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2003 MASSACHUSETTS PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION/LICENSE EXAM SCHEDULE

Mail examination application(s) to
Department of Food & Agriculture
Pesticide Bureau
251 Causeway Street
Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114-2151

SPRINGe Armory Square, Springfield, MA 01101-9SPRINGFIE

MA 01101-9000

PLEASE ARRIVE AT THE EXAM SITE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE EXAM STARTS!!!!

Exam Times: (NEW) Private and Commercial Certification exams start promptly at 9:00 AM Commercial Applicator (Core) and Dealer exams start promptly at 12:30 PM

Snow Times:        Call 617-626-1841 for a pre-recorded message with exam dates, location, and cancellation information.  In the event of bad weather, call after 6:30 AM on the morning of the scheduled exam and listen to the message.  If the exam has been canceled, the message will inform you and indicate that you should report on the snow date.

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Pesticide Bureau News

This Newsletter is published by the Massachusetts Department of Food & Agriculture.

251 Causeway Street (Suite 500)
Boston, MA. 02114
Phone: 617- 626-1700

Website: http://www.state.ma.us/dfa/

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