Industry opposes fumigation buffer

The tree fruit industry is urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency not to require buffer zones around orchards when they are fumigated for replant disease. The EPA, which is reviewing several fumigants as part of the reregistration process, has proposed buffer zones of up to 4,600 feet (eight-tenths of a mile) to mitigate the effects of fumigation on the environment surrounding farms. The Northwest Horticultural Council says buffer zones of that magnitude would make soil fumigation in orchards impossible. It has told the EPA that it believes that good agricultural practices, including good field preparation and proper sealing techniques, are […]