Derrick Shelton
Human Antibiotics Sprayed on Orange Trees for Greening Disease: What this will mean for us?
Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants to spray antibiotics on citrus groves to combat greening disease, and is applying for an exemption with the EPA. Similar to the fight of routine antibiotic use in animal agriculture, there’s concern over human antibiotics treating crop disease.
Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to spray 2.23 million pounds of human antibiotics, treating Citrus Greening disease. There’s opposition to this proposal for the EPA to deny the request.
Concern for Citrus Growers
From 2000-2014, citrus production has decreased 58 percent. Citrus growers are concerned for the future of the crop. The antibiotics are used to treat huanglongbing (HLB) and more commonly called citrus greening. It’s a bacterial infection transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid.
Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services wants to spray antibiotics on citrus groves to combat greening disease, and is applying for an exemption with the EPA. Similar to the fight of routine antibiotic use in animal agriculture, there’s concern over human antibiotics treating crop disease.
Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) applied to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to spray 2.23 million pounds of human antibiotics, treating Citrus Greening disease. There’s opposition to this proposal for the EPA to deny the request.
Concern for Citrus Growers
From 2000-2014, citrus production has decreased 58 percent. Citrus growers are concerned for the future of the crop. The antibiotics are used to treat huanglongbing (HLB) and more commonly called citrus greening. It’s a bacterial infection transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid.
