Groups Challenge Grant for Pro-Pesticide Campaign

A. G. Kawamura
Secretary
California Department of Food and Agriculture
1220 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Al Montna
President
California Board of Food and Agriculture
1220 N Street
Sacramento, CA 95814

Sent via email & regular mail.

Dear Messrs. Kawamura and Montna,

We are writing to express our serious concern about the recent decision of the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to award a Specialty Crop Block Grant of $180,000 to the Alliance for Food and Farming, an industry communications group. According to CDFA documents, the group intends to use the money to “correct the misconception that some fresh produce items contain excessive amounts of pesticide residues” and to counter “claims by activist groups about unsafe levels of pesticides.”

The federally-funded Specialty Crops Block Grant (SCBG) Program in California is a valuable effort intended to support research, marketing and nutrition programs that help make produce, nuts and flower crops more competitive, accessible and in the case of research, more sustainable. While we strongly support this program, we object to the department’s decision to fund an industry communications initiative against legitimate public interest concerns related to pesticide residues on food. The award of this grant strikes a blow to California’s expanding organic produce industry and places the department in opposition to the public’s interest in reducing pesticide exposure. This action also represents a fundamental failure to implement a fair and balanced grant selection process.

Pesticide residues are a genuine problem: both peer-reviewed literature and the USDA food residue test database have found them on many conventionally-grown foods. Scientists have expressed valid concerns about the health risks posed by some of these chemicals. It is inappropriate for state and federal officials to categorically take the side of conventional agribusiness in this scientific and policy debate by funding a public relations effort designed to attack public interest organizations.

We ask that CDFA and USDA retract this award and take action to ensure that future grant-making serves the interests of all Californians.

We urge the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the State Board of Food and Agriculture to investigate fully the decision to award public funds to the Alliance for Food and Farming. We ask the department to initiate a public process to revise its grant selection criteria in order to ensure a more balanced and beneficial use of marketing dollars. We believe that these funds should be used to overcome the real barriers to greater consumption of fruits, nut and vegetables, especially those products which are locally-grown and are organically and sustainably-produced.

We request a full explanation of the state’s decision-making process for the Specialty Crop Block Grants and urge the California Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a more balanced Technical Review Committee, with fair representation of public interest groups and the organic specialty crop sector.

Sincerely,

CC:
Governor Schwarzenegger – via regular mail
Senator Boxer – via email
Senator Feinstein – via email
Representative Cardoza – via email
Representative Costa – via email
Representative Baca – via email
Representative Farr – via email
Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez – via email
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg – via email
Senator Dean Florez, Chair, State Senate Ag Committee - via email
Assembly Member Cathleen Galgiani, Chair, Agriculture Committee - via email
Ms. Rayne Pegg, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator – via email & regular mail