The Oregon Department of Agriculture has issued 19 civil penalties totaling $112,480 in connection with the misuse of the Restricted Use Pesticide Furadan by several Malheur County onion growers last year.

The penalties stem from investigations and extensive sampling performed by ODA's Pesticides Division and Laboratory Services. Amounts of individual penalties, some more than $15,000, underscore the importance of applying materials only as is allowed by label and legal parameters.

Despite the violations, ODA reports that no onions containing carbofuran, the active ingredient of Furadan pesticide, entered the food chain.

Farms and penalties issued for the violations are shown below:

Van Schulthies, Nyssa, OR., $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, $2,368.
Kip Cindell, Adrian, $2,220.
Scott Cruickshank, Ontario, $2,109.
William Holmes, Nyssa, $2,109.
Michael McGourty, Brogan, $666.
Gene Bair, Nyssa, $629.
Dan Fullerton, Vale, $555.

ODA also documented violations associated with applicator licensing and sales and distribution of Furadan. These violations will be addressed separately.

Onion producers documented by ODA last year for Furadan misuse also face crop embargoes on their 2007 crop, and will be required to prove that their 2007onion crops are free of carbofuran residue before they can be marketed.

As a result of the fines, Malheur County growers will be exposed to related investigations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, The Food and Drug Administration, and the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division.

Similar investigations of Furadan misuse have been conducted in Idaho, which has also taken regulatory action against onion growers in the region across the border from Malheur County.