Annual Submission of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (Cal/OSHA Summary 300A)

It’s that time of the year again! This is a reminder to electronically submit your 2024 Form 300A data by March 2, 2025, through the Federal OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA) website. Additionally, the Cal/OSHA Summary 300A must be completed and posted on your bulletin board from February 1 to April 30, 2025. Refer to federal OSHA's Injury Tracking Application website for information and instructions on electronic submission, visit: https://www.osha.gov/injuryreporting/ita/.

CDPR Releases Reevaluation Schedule for Certain Pesticides

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has released an updated schedule of reevaluations for certain pesticides.  Food and Agricultural Code section 12824 requires the CDPR to continuously evaluate pesticides currently registered in California. One of the ways DPR satisfies this mandate is through reevaluation.  DPR conducts pesticide reevaluations where, after investigating reported episodes or other information, the department determines that "a significant adverse impact has occurred or is likely to occur."  In some cases, a risk assessment may be conducted as a part of a reevaluation.  During the reevaluation, the department may determine that additional restrictions on use of the pesticide are necessary.  Mitigation may require the development and adoption of regulations through the rulemaking process, label changes, or other control measures including cancellation.  If additional mitigation is needed, DPR is subject to applicable established timelines.  In accordance with that requirement, DPR is publishing the estimated completion times for all current reevaluations (see "Active Reevaluations" table below). Individual reevaluations with statutorily imposed timelines are also noted below. Scientific assessment is necessary to determine if there are pesticide use scenarios that require mitigation.  CDPR will now be providing annual updates on its progress, allowing for better resolution on specific timelines.

  •  Active Reevaluations

The table below details, for each active ingredient currently under reevaluation, the planned stages of the reevaluation with estimated completion dates.

Reevaluation

Stages with estimated completion dates (quarter [Q] and year)

Chloropicrin
  • Chloropicrin Manufacturer’s Task Force (CMTF) to complete study 4 and preliminary report by Q3 2025.
  • CMTF to complete studies 1, 2, and 3 by Q4 2025.
  • Determine need for CMTF Study 5 by Q4 2025.
  • Complete of review of all required CMTF studies by Q2 2027.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is required, complete by Q2 2029.
  

Cyfluthrin
  • Publish Human health risk assessment scope by Q2 2025.
  • Complete risk human health risk assessment by Q4 2026.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is required, complete by Q4 2028.
  

Diphacinone
  • Conduct informal public workshops on proposed mitigation by Q3 2025.
  • Complete scientific evaluation and determination of need for mitigation by Q4 2026.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is necessary, complete by Q3 2028.
  

Non-Agricultural Outdoor Neonicotinoids 1
  • Completed draft human health risk assessment for imidacloprid Q1 2024.
  • Complete final imidacloprid human health risk assessment by Q1 2025.
  • Complete draft human health risk assessments for acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam by Q1 2025.
  • Complete evaluation of impact of neonicotinoid pesticides on aquatic organisms by Q3 2025.
  • Complete final human health risk assessments for acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam by Q1 2026.
  • Issue reevaluation determination of neonicotinoid pesticides' impacts to pollinating insects, aquatic organisms, and human health by Q3 2027.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is necessary, complete by Q3 2029.
  

 Paraquat Dichloride 2
  • Publish preliminary scientific reports and open 45-day public comment period by Q4 2024.
  • Review public comments and issue planned next steps by Q2 2025.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is required, complete by Q1 2029.
  

Second-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides(SGARs)
  • Conduct informal public workshops on proposed mitigation by Q3 2025.
  • Complete scientific evaluation and determination of need for mitigation by Q4 2026.
  • If mitigation or rulemaking is necessary, complete by Q3 2028.
  

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposes to List Suckley’s Cuckoo Bumble Bee as Endangered

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is opening a 60-day public comment period on a proposed rule to list Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This determination also serves as the 12-month finding on a petition to list Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee.  The Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee depends on other bumble bee hosts for its survival and raising of young. It has been found in various habitat types including prairies, grasslands, meadows, woodlands and agricultural and urban areas. The bee has a broad historical distribution across North America and has been documented in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and 11 Canadian territories and provinces. The last confirmed sighting in the United States was in 2016 in Oregon.  Suckley’s cuckoo bumble bee is an important indicator species for the health of pollinators and native floral communities. In addition, this species’ parasitic nature is very unique among bees, with social parasites making up less than 1% of all bee species. They are different from brood parasites, which only attack the brood of their host, because social parasites rely on the entire colony. Female cuckoo bumble bees invade host bumble bee nests where they will often eliminate the host queen, destroy host eggs, and eject host larvae from the nest.  The public comment period on the proposed rule opens Tuesday, December 17th, 2024, and closes Tuesday, February 18th, 2025.  The Suckley’s Cuckoo bumblebee is one of the four species of bumblebees that were part of the lawsuit the Association participated in a couple of years ago. 

EPA Updates Bilingual Pesticide Labeling

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recently updated its Spanish Translation Guide for Pesticide Labeling, effective December 26, 2024. This updated guide provides important resources for translating pesticide product labels into Spanish, ensuring better accessibility, and enhancing communication regarding pesticide risks by providing clarity for Spanish-speaking workers.

The guide includes several key updates, such as:

  • Restricted use of pesticides; 
  • Misuse statements;
  • First aid and precautionary statement label language;
  • Personal protective equipment (PPE) label statements; 
  • New sections on engineering controls, environmental hazards, and physical or chemical hazards; and
  • Storage and pesticide container disposal instructions. 

As part of the requirements set by PRIA 5, pesticide registrants must translate all sections of the label outlined in the updated Spanish Translation Guide beginning in 2025. Registrants who have already translated the new sections and verified the accuracy of their translations as ‘true and accurate’ are not required to revise those parts of the label.

To access the full, revised Spanish Translation Guide, visit the EPA’s official website: EPA Spanish Translation Guide for Pesticide Labeling.

State Water Project Allocation Increased to 15%

Earlier this week, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced an update to the State Water Project (SWP) allocation forecast for 2025. The allocation has increased to 15 percent of requested supplies, up from the initial allocation forecast of 5 percent announced earlier this month. The SWP provides water to 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians.  DWR is crediting strong storms in late November and early December that have helped boost statewide precipitation to just above average for this time of year. Reservoir levels have also increased because of the storms. The initial allocation forecast announced on December 2 had not accounted for these storms because the data was not yet available to water managers.  “The past several weeks has brought welcome rain and snow to Northern California and these improved conditions have allowed the State Water Project to increase the allocation forecast to the benefit of millions of Californians,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “While we typically wait to provide an update until January, we felt it is important to let our State Water Contractors know of the increase as soon as possible to allow them to better plan their water supply for the year ahead.”  The next update will likely come in January and will use information from the first snow surveys of the season. 

  1. The Final Phase of California Agricultural Worker Overtime Phase-in Effective January 1, 2025
  2. Available Grant Funding for Zero-Emission Cargo Handling Equipment, Heavy-Lift Forklifts, Ferries, Tugboats, and Towboats
  3. Minimum Wage Going Up Again – Effective January 1, 2025
  4. Important Survey for All Agricultural Operations

Subcategories

Uncategorised

Welcome to WAPA

Governor Signs Ag Overtime Bill

Ignoring the pleas of real farmworkers and the agricultural industry, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed AB 1066, the ag overtime legislation. This means that California will have the most stringent trigger of any state in the country for overtime for farmworkers, with 45 states having no overtime protection at all. The Governor signed this bill, supposedly to bring “equality to all workers”, yet taxi cab drivers, commercial fishermen, car salesmen, student nurses, computer programmers, and carnival workers all work without any overtime provisions whatsoever. The Governor signed this ag overtime bill in the same year that minimum wage legislation was also passed that will take California to the highest minimum wage as well as legislation forcing California to adopt additional greenhouse gas regulations for businesses in California. California is the only state in the country subject to such regulations. Today’s signing occurred despite numerous requests by the agricultural industry to meet with the Governor to discuss our concerns. The message is clear. California simply doesn’t care. These provisions will be phased in over the next few years ending with the overtime provisions to be triggered at 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week.

In the Beginning As folks transitioned out of cotton and into tree nuts, the industry recognized the need to have active and effective representation at the local, state and national levels. Having enjoyed such effective representation over the years from the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, these folks yearned for the same representation in the tree nut processing industry. Issues such as air quality, food safety, labor, taxes, employee safety, and environmental concerns are at the forefront, and there is a significant need for an aggressive and dynamic Association to lead the industry into the next decade and beyond. In recognition of this, the Western Agricultural Processors Association was created in 2009. The Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) shares staff and office space with the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations taking advantage of a unique and opportunistic situation. WAPA is a voluntary dues organization with four shared staff and one dedicated staff person. Regulatory, legislative and legal issues fall under the purview of this new organization for the tree nut processing industry, which includes almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts. From air quality permits to conditional use permits, from regulatory hearings on greenhouse gases to federal legislation on food safety, and from OSHA violations to assisting members on hazardous materials business plans, no issue is too small or too large for WAPA. WAPA has assembled one of the best and most capable staffs in the industry, and the results are already starting to show Membership The Western Agricultural Processors Association represents facilities involved in the processing of almonds, pecans, pistachios and walnuts.Membership in the Association is classified as Regular memberships are limited to almond hullers or processors, pecan and pistachio processors, and walnut dehydrators and processors. Associate memberships are limited to any individual or business entity which is not engaged in agricultural processing, but which provides products or services directly related to the agricultural processing industry. WAPA Associate members include, but are not limited to, commodity brokers, accounting firms, and insurance brokers. Organization The Western Agricultural Processors Association is governed by a Board of Directors, elected by its membership.The Board consists of up to 15 members from throughout the state, and throughout the industry.The Board meets on a quarterly basis and conducts an Annual Meeting in the spring of each year.WAPA, in conjunction with the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations, conducts a special training school for its members focused on safety.In combination with the school, the Association holds a Labor Management Seminar for all of the managers. Consulting Services In researching and considering the concept of forming a new organization, the Boards of Directors for the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Associations instructed staff to perform some of the work on a consulting basis first. The point was to determine the workload from consulting and to determine if there was sufficient interest. In November of 2007, the Association began conducting services under consulting contracts for such services as air quality permits and safety plans.The effort has been so successful that demand has progressed outside the tree nut industry into other agricultural processing facilities, including vegetable dehydration facilities, tomato processing facilities, and wheat mills, as well as cotton gins in Arizona.It was determined by the new Board of Directors of WAPA, that WAPA would maintain the consulting services to provide offsetting income to help with the expenses of getting the new organization up and running.Today, WAPA provides for a long list of satisfied clients in the agricultural processing industry, by providing critical services such as air quality, safety, food safety, and environmental issues (Hazardous Materials Business Plan, Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure Plans, etc.).