BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE on AGRICULTURE
Senator Cathleen Galgiani, Chair
BILL NO: AB 571 HEARING: 06/18/13
AUTHOR: Gatto FISCAL: Yes
VERSION: 02/20/13 CONSULTANT: Anne Megaro
Agricultural pest control: citrus disease prevention.
SUMMARY :
This bill would appropriate $5 million from the General Fund to
the Citrus Disease Management Account within the California
Department of Food and Agriculture Fund for the purposes of
combating citrus disease or its vectors.
BACKGROUND AND EXISTING LAW :
California is the top-producing agricultural state in the nation
with $43.8 billion in agricultural commodity value in 2011.
California is also a top producer of citrus fruits and is ranked
second only to Florida in citrus production and first in citrus
product sold fresh to market. The $2.1 billion California
citrus industry grew nearly 4 million tons of citrus on 270,000
acres last year and provided more than 14,000 jobs.
Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an invasive pest that feeds on
citrus plants' leaves and stems and causes shoot deformation and
plant stunting. More importantly, ACP may transmit
Huanglongbing (HLB), a bacterial plant disease that causes the
plant to produce unpalatable/inedible fruit before deteriorating
the plant's health so severely that it dies. According to the
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), HLB is the
most devastating disease of citrus in the world, affecting
citrus in Asia, Africa, Brazil (a significant citrus-producing
country), Central America and the U.S. There is no cure for the
disease, and infected plants must be removed and destroyed in
order to prevent further spread of HLB.
The first discovery of ACP and HLB in the United States was in
Florida in 1998 and early September 2005, respectively. Within
2 years, the disease HLB spread to all citrus-producing counties
and infected over half of all citrus trees in the state.
Studies have shown that the economic damage due to HLB in
Florida alone has resulted in a loss of $4.5 billion and 8,200
jobs over the last 5 years. The disease HLB has since been
detected in Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas and
the pest ACP only in Mississippi and Alabama.
AB 571 - Page 2
In 2008, the pest ACP was first identified in California and has
spread to several southern California counties. In March 2012,
HLB was detected in a residential, multi-grafted citrus tree in
Los Angeles County. The tree was destroyed, and the disease has
not been detected in California since.
According to the University of California, Agriculture and
Natural Resources (UCANR), the citrus industry, the University
of California, and both the state and federal governments are
working to eliminate and prevent the establishment of ACP and
HLB in California. Much of the research is conducted with
funding from the citrus industry through the Citrus Research
Board, UCANR, CDFA Specialty Crops Block Grants, and the United
States Department of Agriculture - National Institute of Food
and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA).
PROPOSED LAW :
This bill:
Appropriates $5 million from the General Fund to the Citrus
Disease Management Account within the Department of Food and
Agriculture Fund for the purpose of combating citrus disease or
its vectors.
COMMENTS :
Need for this bill: According to the author, "The devastating
effects of the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB have already been
seen in Florida, providing a glimpse into the future of
California citrus if early action is not taken. Unfortunately,
when it was detected in Florida in 1998, the pest had spread to
such an extent that it made containment difficult."
Furthermore, "This measure will help protect a major industry in
California. It will ensure that the agricultural sector, a
vital component of our state's economy, does not fall victim to
these imported maladies."
Department of Finance: The Department of Finance is opposed to
this bill because "the Program is already adequately funded with
federal and special funds, and it is inconsistent with the
current budget. The Program currently performs the research and
preventative activities addressed in this bill." Furthermore,
AB 571 - Page 3
"The Program receives approximately $16 million annually from
(industry) assessment fees and $10 million in federal funds, the
majority of which is used to combat the ACP and survey for HLB."
RELATED LEGISLATION :
AB 604 (De Leon and Fuller) Chapter 17, Statutes of 2010.
Authorizes CDFA to spend any monies it had collected in the
Citrus Disease Management Account on citrus specific pest and
disease programs through June 30, 2010.
AB 281 (De Leon) Chapter 426, Statutes of 2009. Establishes the
California Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee and the
Citrus Disease Management Account within CDFA to prevent and
manage citrus pests and diseases. The Account shall consist of
money from industry assessment fees but may also include federal
and other non-General Fund sources.
PRIOR ACTIONS :
Assembly Floor 77-0
Assembly Appropriations 17-0
Assembly Agriculture 7-0
SUPPORT :
California Citrus Mutual
Paramount Citrus
Western Growers Association
OPPOSITION :
Department of Finance