State Government: RIFA: Letter to California Dept of Food and Agriculture

Riverside County Farm Bureau, Inc.

21160 Box Springs Road, Suite 102, Moreno Valley, California 92557, USA
Telephone 951/684-6732 - E-mail RCFarmB@aol.com - FAX 951/782-0621
Visit our website at www.riversidecfb.com
Affiliated with the California Farm Bureau Federation and the American Farm Bureau Federation

January 18, 1999
The Honorable Bill Lyons
Secretary of Agriculture
California Department of Food and Agriculture
1220 N Street
Sacramento, California 95814

Subject: Eradication of Red Imported Fire Ant

Dear Secretary Lyons:

Riverside County Farm Bureau supports California's efforts to eradicate the Red Imported Fire Ant and offers several thoughts regarding this new pest.

An eradication program must go forward. Beyond the agricultural impacts of Red Imported Fire Ant, it is a significant pest to many areas of our state and will have consequences for our citizens if it is not eradicated. In the event that Red Imported Fire Ant becomes permanently established in California and neighboring states, citizens who have to contend with this pest in the future will look back on actions taken now and judge whether industry and government made every possible effort to stop this annoying and costly pest. Anticipating that they will be held accountable, industry and government leaders must take effective action now against Red Imported Fire Ant.

Farm Bureau seeks support for legislation to deal with Red Imported Fire Ant. Assemblyman Bruce Thompson is carrying a bill on our behalf that would provide funding for the Red Imported Fire Ant eradication program. We will also look at the possibility of support for improved detection and exclusion and funding for research about Red Imported Fire Ant in California to augment the extensive research in other parts of the world where Red Imported Fire Ant is established, either through Assemblyman Thompson's measure or by other means. We anticipate there may be other legislation on this subject, and we are prepared to support measures which bring effective solutions to the fire ant problem.

Farm Bureau also encourages public education about the nature of Red Imported Fire Ant and the broad threat it poses. The public could be expected to support eradication of Red Imported Fire Ant if they understand the harm it threatens.

If Red Imported Fire Ant becomes permanently established in California, we know agriculture is faced with added costs for pest control, production losses, shipping restrictions and workplace safety. While the potential cost to California agriculture has not yet been estimated, a simple rule of thumb would suggest that since California agricultural production is greater than the next two states combined (including fire ant-infested Texas), California's agricultural costs for Red Imported Fire Ant could be twice as much as the cost in any other state.

Beyond agriculture, Red Imported Fire Ant threatens new costs to state and local governments and to private businesses and citizens for pest control, health and safety, and property damage. It becomes a harmful pest in parks, highway medians and recreational areas. Attracted to electrical connections, Red Imported Fire Ant can short out electrical boxes and similar equipment, such as street lights or refrigeration units. Its painful sting is uncomfortable at best but can cause serious harm or, in limited cases, death.

Red Imported Fire Ant also threatens harm to California's environment, changing the ecological balance and potentially harming endangered species (like Riverside's ground-dwelling Stephens' kangaroo rat, which would be a likely victim of fire ants) or reducing additional species to a point where they would be candidates for endangered species listing. It competes with many other insects and harms ground-nesting birds.

We are fortunate to have several entomologists at the University of California at Riverside who are knowledgeable in this subject. Enclosed is a paper provided by Dr. John Klotz which summarizes information about Red Imported Fire Ant and which might be useful to you.

If established, Red Imported Fire Ants will eventually affect every California citizen, indirectly through the impacts mentioned above ... and probably directly by painful personal encounter. This is a pest no one wants.

It's clear that the California Department of Food and Agriculture faces almost overwhelming challenges at this time from a series of exotic pests. Efforts to eradicate Red Imported Fire Ant should not diminish any of the other eradication programs. Although Red Imported Fire Ant poses widespread impacts beyond agriculture, it presents an opportunity for agriculture to take the lead to protect citizens of California.

Riverside County Farm Bureau respectfully requests that you make eradication of Red Imported Fire Ant a priority within your agency and that you use your influence within government to enlist additional support for eradication, detection, exclusion and research to protect Californians from this and similar pests.

Sincerely,

Robert Eli Perkins
Executive Manager

cc:
California Farm Bureau Federation