Timeline – 1997
From the St. Petersburg Times
August 6, 1997
A Times editorial
Lessons for the next medfly infestation
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Mediteranean fruit flies were found in Florida in the
1990s. The St. Petersburg Times suggested steps at the time
that could be taken during future infestations. More flies have recently
been found in the state.
-Photo credit: FDACS
|
Officials should begin looking for ways to fight the next infestation
more responsibly. Protecting Florida’s $3.6 billion citrus
industry is vital to the state’s economy, but it hardly excuses
the leadership breakdown or comedy of errors both before and after the
first medfly was discovered May 28.
Prevention: Agriculture Commissioner Bob Crawford needs to regain his
priorities. His department had millions to spend on festivals, sports
events and other pork projects, yet despite repeated warnings, was
unprepared to handle a mass infestation (of medflies). Having ready
access to cash would help in a crisis. The Florida Legislature should
increase funding for traps and inspectors and invest $2 million annually
into a medfly rainy day fund.
Last session, lawmakers rejected a $10 million fund to cover crop
disasters. Now this single infestation will cost taxpayers more than $15
million.
Candor: State officials should quantify the medfly’s
threat to consumers and to Florida’s overall economy. Residents
deserve straight answers about the health and environmental effects of
malathion and the alternatives to aerial spraying. Medfly officials
should be frank and considerate of public anxieties about chemical
spraying.
Opposition grew in Hillsborough after spraying restrictions were
abused and because spraying took longer than originally thought. Also,
no independent agency stepped forward to put the health and
environmental risks into context.
Coordination: Health and environmental agencies must play a
greater role in any chemical suppression campaign. As it stands, state
agriculture officials wear too any hats. The agency that promotes
Florida’s export crop should not certify the medfly as a public
health threat, oversee aerial spraying and operate hotlines to reassure
the public.
Gov. Lawton Chiles should create a standing task force and clearly
define the role for federal, state and local agencies. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency needs to become more active. During the
recent campaign, Hillsborough officials felt slighted and unsure of
their authority. If EPA is not prepared or inclined to enforce spray
restrictions, then local agencies should do the job.
Lawmakers, growers and backyard gardeners all have separate
responsibilities. Expanding the number of traps could improve early
detection. Property owners, meanwhile, must comply with quarantine
restrictions and be alert to the warning signs of suspect fruit.
The rules for fighting the medfly war need to be carefully redrawn to
reflect the lessons learned from this latest battle.