01/16/07 Committee Looks At Pesticides

Committee looks at Pesticides. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. With the new legislature back in session on both the state and national levels, many issues are being addressed in work sessions. Northwest Horticulture Council Vice President for Scientific Affairs, Mike Willett outlined the tree fruit industry's lengthy and on-going commitment to the development and adoption of integrated pest management practices. WILLETT: The substance of what I talked about was the industries commitment to integrated pest management practices and pest control alternatives and the amount of research that is being done on grower dollars to try and get to that point and the demands for pest management and pest control that are being place on the industry not only from domestic customers but probably more importantly by the international marketplace where in certain countries there's a zero tolerance for certain pests. Willett also says that even when some products wind up being registered for use in the U.S. those same products can't be used for the export market. WILLETT: That's an important consideration in looking at replacements or alternatives for some of these pest control products that the industry has been using for a long time. He cautions that finding alternatives will take time. WILLET: It looks like there are some promising alternatives that are in the pipeline but until we actually get a chance to see what they look like in grower orchards and under those kinds of real life pressures and demands, we won't know that they are indeed 100% alternatives. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.