Tilth Producers Comments on Proposal re: Fire Blight Controls

At the upcoming NOSB meeting in Portland, OR on April 9 – 11, 2013, there will be discussion and a decision regarding the Crops Subcommittee proposal to remove the current expiration date for oxytetracycline of October 21, 2014 and replace it with a new expiration date of October 21, 2016. As most tree fruit growers know, oxytetracycline is an antibiotic deemed an allowed synthetic material under the organic rules, and used to manage fire blight in apples and pears when other preventative practices are not sufficient to control the spread of the disease.

As many of you are aware, this topic has garnered a lot of attention in the organic community, especially here in the Pacific Northwest, where fire blight is a grave concern for tree fruit growers. Research is underway and has made some promising progress; it’s felt that alternative tools to oxytetracycline for fire blight control are possible with continued research. This extension is important becauses the loss of oxytetracycline in tree fruit production now, when research is making positive strides, unnecessarily jeopardizes the tree fruit industry and risks potential reduction of domestic fruit while opening up the door to increased apple and pear imports from areas where fire blight is not prevalent. Leaving growers without options during times of severe fire blight outbreak forces them to choose between devastating crop losses or using non-approved materials and losing organic certification.

At the Organicology conference in Portland, OR in February there was a special meeting to discuss the issues and recommendations. There was broad, general agreement to support the recommendation put forward by the Crops Subcommittee to allow this extension through the 2016 growing season. Echoing the opinion of others in the organic industry across the country, there was unanimous support for a complete phase out of the use of antibiotics after this deadline. This issue was also carefully discussed at the recent WSDA Organic Advisory Board meeting held in Ellensburg earlier this month, attended by several Tilth Producers members. From that very afternoon the national discussion regarding the continued use of antibiotics in tree fruit production changed greatly. Using hyperbole and scare tactics, national consumer groups have waged a “no” campaign, asking consumers to sign-on to their remarks to the NOSB demanding the two year extension of use be denied. It has been challenging to make our voice heard over this rhetoric, though the need for continued research and additional time is no less critical.

Several members of Tilth Producers have been involved with the national discussion around this issue, which was initiated as a result of discussions during the NOSB meeting held in Seattle in April, 2011. It was at that time that the NOSB made the arbitrary decision to extend use of oxytetracycline until October 21, 2014, extending it for two years rather than the usual five years under the materials sunset review provisions. Consequently, it was decided at the Board level for the Crops Committee to prepare a proposal on this issue, with related public testimony to be collected and presented at next month’s meeting.

We, at Tilth Producers, hold the mission of our organization as the guide for what we do and the policy positions we take: to provide education, networking and research to promote ecologically sound, economically viable and socially equitable farming practices that improve the health of our communities and natural environment. After reviewing the work and recommendations of the National Organic Tree Fruit Task Force, we believe that these materials can be handled safely and responsibly. We also have concluded that opposing the recommendation of the crops committee would not represent the majority opinion of organic tree fruit growers and have potentially devastating consequences to organic producers in this state. There are over 15,000 acres of organic orchards in the Pacific Northwest, with these growers supplying over 80% of organic apples and pears in the US.

We very much appreciate that not everyone will agree with Tilth’s position. We appreciate the steps that successful growers have taken to learn how to control this disease without relying on antibiotics for those high risk seasons when fire blight affects valuable but vulnerable trees. It is our goal to support and publicize critical research and outreach to improve the success of Washington growers to manage this challenging disease. We appreciate hearing from our members as you review this issue. Regardless of the decision at next month’s NOSB meeting we remain committed to providing organic farmers with the most up to date research and advocating for continued research to develop effective management strategies to manage this devastating disease.

To view our comments to the NOSB please click here.