California agency launches tool to give public notice before pesticides are used on farms

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has launched a "first-of-its-kind" tool that notifies the public before specific pesticides are used on farms across the state.

SprayDays California, an online resource and notification system aims to provide transparent, accessible and timely notifications and information about the use of “restricted material pesticides,” a category of pesticides subject to California’s strictest regulations, including requirements on where they can be used, who can use them and how they can be used.

Fumigants—pesticides that when applied to soil form a gas to control soil-borne pests and can lead to pesticide drift and exposure to nearby communities, are also a part of the new notification system.

The tool is considered a victory for advocates and farmworker communities across California who have demanded the right to know beforehand what, when, and where hazardous agricultural pesticides will be applied.

"I am excited because this is a huge victory for our community," said Yanely Martinez, Central Coast community organizer for Californians for Pesticide Reform, calling the series of actions spanning decades a "people-led movement."

"We deserved and have the right to know what dangerous pesticides are being applied so we can protect ourselves and loved ones," Martinez said.

Martinez said, the tool is "not perfect, but through advocacy can achieve a perfect system."

Karen Morrison, director of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, said SprayDays California was developed through extensive public engagement to improve access to information and enhance understanding of California’s strong pesticide regulatory framework.

"This system is a significant step forward for DPR in fostering awareness and transparency—we look forward to continuing to refine SprayDays with feedback and engagement from all Californians,” Morrison said.

For the first three years following the launch of SprayDays, the department will collect annual feedback on the notification system from the public, Department of Pesticide Regulation’s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee (EJAC) and the State Board of Food and Agriculture to inform any iterative changes or updates to the system.

This feedback will be included in an annual report issued by the Department of Pesticide Regulation, which will be available on the department’s website.

Users can sign up to receive texts for a particular address, including schools, work sites

Visitors to the SprayDays website can search for scheduled applications anonymously using a map or enter any address to view applications planned within a one-square-mile area.

Users can also choose to receive text and/or email notifications about scheduled pesticide applications near a specified address, such as a school or work site.

Notifications are sent out 48 hours before the intended use of soil fumigants and 24 hours before the intended use of other restricted material pesticides used on farms.

“We love the pesticide map-system and the opportunity to get text notices," said Erika Alfaro, a public health nurse in Northern California and member of Safe Ag Safe Schools.

"With this information—for the first time—agricultural communities can take the proper health precautions by closing windows and doors, taking clothes off the line, and allowing the especially vulnerable, like pregnant or asthmatic individuals, to stay indoors at home, work, or school.”

SprayDays provides the location of applications in one-square-mile sections, which aligns with the location information that is submitted by growers or applicators prior to the use of a California restricted material pesticide.

It also provides information about the pesticide product’s name, its active ingredients, the application method, the number of treated acres and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registration number.

There is also information on pesticide safety and how pesticides are regulated in California. To learn how to sign up for notifications view how-to videos or review step-by-step fact sheets.

Advocates, and farmworker communities have been calling for an advanced notification system for years

“Since California uses more pesticides than any other state, including more than 130 pesticides that are not approved in the European Union, farmworker communities have demanded a ‘heads up’ in order to take measures to reduce the risk of exposure to our loved ones," said Angel Garcia, co-director of Californians for Pesticide Reform.

"We need far better protections from the state, but this is a giant step forward toward transparency about toxic pesticide use,” Garcia said.

For years, farmworker across the state have called for an online system that could warn of upcoming pesticide applications.

Byanka Santoyo, an organizer with the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment (CRPE) said the local community in Shafter, California called on the Kern County agricultural commissioner five years ago to give the public advanced warning of "cancer-causing fumigant" applications, which was refused.

"We kept pushing and pushing at AB 617 meetings, at public hearings, at news conferences and protests," Santoyo said. "Now, not just Shafter, but the whole state will have access to upcoming pesticide information.”