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Washington State Department of Agriculture shows 18% rise in investigations.

Compiled by staff

April 13, 2016

2 Min Read
WATCH THAT DRIFT: Washington State Department of Agriculture issues report showing violations for pesticide application - off-target drift was key cause of trouble in many instances.Tfoxfoto-ThinkstockPhotos

This week the Washington State Department of Agriculture released its fiscal year look at violations of the state's pesticide laws between July 2014 and June 2015, which covers the agency's latest annual report to state lawmakers. The agency reports it investigated 123 potential violations which is an 18% rise verses last year's report.

This is a mandated annual report on activities of the Pesticide Management Division, including the outcome of the investigations. The 71 page report - 2015 Annual Report to the Legislature - is available online.

Of the investigations, about half - 61 - involved agricultural applications; 17% were for commercial and industrial use of pesticides.

Pesticide drift accounted for 58 of the investigations and less than half 48% involved possible human exposure. The agency also conducted more than 9,700 pesticide license exams in the period.

The report shows that 57 investigations resulted in some type of enforcement action, and seven resulted in a civil penalty for the violator. Penalties included fines ranging from a few hundred dollars to $7,500 - the maximum allowed by law. That penalty involved a case of drift onto school grounds exposing students and staff. A second case for the maximum fine is currently under appeal and involves an aerial application that allegedly drifted onto more than 60 farm workers.

The message from the list of infractions is clear - applicators must take drift into account during application. Off target pesticide applications that expose vulnerable crops or people were key violations reported to the agency. Farmers and applicators should take great care in-season to avoid trouble. However the 61 violations reported in the fiscal year is a small fraction of the total number of pesticide applications made across the region annually.

To determine penalties when violations are found to be committed WSDA uses a matrix of factors including the seriousness of the violation, whether it is a first-time or repeat offense and other aggravating factors - such as pesticide exposure to others.

The agency reports that in 2015 more than 2,100 farm workers who handle or apply pesticides or those who work in fields and orchards where pesticides are applied received training. That figure has doubled since 2010. All four of WSDA's farm worker education trainers are fluent in Spanish and have extensive agriculture experience. Partnerships with growers and non-profit organizations expand the availability of training.

The agency also conducts 40 onsite inspections to ensure compliance with Worker Protection Standards; those inspections resulted in 18 enforcement actions. You can learn more at the Pesticide Enforcement Actions web page to view outcomes of the agency's investigations.

Source: Washington State Department of Agriculture

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