CCM finds it prudent to let members know about a recent change made to AB 363 (Bauer-Kahan) which was a bill that obligated the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to re-evaluate neonicotinoid urban use and incorporate new criteria not within the current reevaluation process. This is a bill actively opposed by CCM and the previous iterations of it. CCM and our lobby team will continue to be active on this bill as the legislative session is in its final stages. The bill is another attempt to do an end around of the regulatory process at DPR and jeopardizes the citrus industry’s efforts to combat ACP and HLB in urban areas.
This bill was recently amended read the following: this bill, beginning January 1, 2025, would prohibit a person from selling, possessing, or using a pesticide containing one or more neonicotinoid pesticides, as defined, for any nonagricultural use on nonproduction outdoor or ornamental plants, trees, or turf, except as provided. The bill would require the department to evaluate, taking into account relevant routes of exposure, the potential impacts of those neonicotinoid pesticide uses on pollinating insects, aquatic ecosystems, and human health. The bill would require the department, among other things, to issue a determination on those impacts on or before July 1, 2027, and adopt necessary control measures for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on or before July 1, 2029.
If you’ll recall, this is similar to the bill (AB 2146 (Bauer-Kahan) the author proposed last year. This previous iteration would’ve prohibited the uses of neonicotinoids for nearly all nonagricultural uses. This was vetoed by the Governor last year on the premise that DPR mitigations for neonics were imminent. CCM will maintain an opposed position regardless of these amendments as this is a necessary tool for home citrus applications and strains the ongoing efforts to mitigate ACP in California. We will be working on communicating this issue to the Legislature in the last weeks of session and will keep industry updated during the coming weeks.
Should there be any questions regarding this bill please do not hesitate to contact Jacob at jacob@cacitrusmutual.com.
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