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nafex - Re: [nafex] Antibiotics for Organic Apples

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  • From: anton ptak <antonptak@gmail.com>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [nafex] Antibiotics for Organic Apples
  • Date: Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:52:29 -0500

I thought I should chime in here, as the coordinator and board member for the Organic Tree Fruit Association. Our organization represents member growers with just a few trees to several thousand trees mostly located in the Midwest. We have made formal presentations in the past to the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) on this issue, and did so again this year. We proposed a "middle ground approach" that provided for continued use in 2014 to 2019 ONLY when computer models calculated a high blight risk. After 2019, our proposal allowed for emergency use only to save orchard plantings, with the crop on those treated trees not being available for sale under the organic label for that year.

One reality is that there are organic growers out there that have purchased their ochards and are attempting to manage organically. Some (or most) of these were not planted with fireblight resistant rootstocks. Others have established their orchards many years ago when fireblight resistant rootstocks were not available. The alternative products out there (Blossom Protect, Blightban) have been trialed most extensively in the pacific northwest, which is a completely different growing environment than here in the midwest. To our knowledge, there has not been any conclusive trials that these products would work for fireblight control in the midwestern or eastern US.

It is critical to note that most of the organic growers that use antibiotics in this area leave it untouched in the shed most years. It is on hand for those years when there's hail, warm temps, and high humidity and use only to avoid the possibility of using an entire block. I know an grower near here that decided not to spray strep on a young planting one year, and did lose that block. Trying to protect the investment made by some organic growers was part of the reason behind our position and proposal.

The NOSB vote to extend the use of antibiotics to tree fruit production to 2016 did not pass. Likely, a discussion of the use for emergency situations will be taken up at the October 2013 meeting of the NOSB.


Sincerely,
Anton Ptak
Board Member, Coordinator
Organic Tree Fruit Association
http://organictreefruit.org/








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