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SB 2 extends, from 2011 to 2016, the Pierce's Disease Control Program within the CDFA, and expands the program’s research component to include designated new pests and diseases affecting grapes grown in California.
The research is paid for by funds which the winegrape growers assess upon themselves.
The Wiggins bill calls for a referendum of the state’s winegrape growers in order to continue the industry assessment.
In the late 1990s, Pierce's Disease, which has been present in California for more than 100 years, threatened to cause sizable damage to grapes due to the arrival of the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
The glassy-winged sharpshooter carries the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, which causes Pierce's Disease in grapes, almonds, oleander, and citrus fruits.
The insect feeds on a plant's water producing elements. When a plant develops Pierce's Disease, its ability to draw in moisture is hindered and the plant will either die or become unproductive.
In response to this threat to the grape industry, the Legislature passed bills that led to the creation of an advisory task force on the Pierce's Disease issue in 1999.
In 2000, the Pierce's Disease Control Program was created as a partnership between the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), county agriculture commissioners, United States Department of Agriculture, University of California, local agencies, industry and agriculture organizations to combat the spread and find solutions for Pierce's Disease and the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
Wiggins, who chairs the Senate Select Committee on California’s Wine Industry, said the program has “proven to be a very successful effort to control the spread of Pierce's Disease and the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
While the program is due to sunset in 2011, the disease and the threat of its spread still remain. By extending the sunset date, the Pierce's Disease Control Program can continue to combat the spread of Pierce's Disease and the glassy-winged sharpshooter.”
Assemblywoman Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), who chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Wine, is principal co-author of SB 2, as is Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-Eureka).
Evans said the Pierce’s Disease Control Program “has not only kept this pest under control, it has resulted in a sustained reduction of the Sharpshooter population. It shows how government and business can work together effectively. This success was the best argument to keep the program going.”
"Ten years ago the glassy-winged sharpshooter posed a serious threat to California’s winemaking industry,” Chesbro said. “The industry came together, and with legislation Sen. Wiggins and I authored, we made the control program a highly successful hedge against the spread of Pierce’s Disease. It’s heartening to see the private and public sectors continue to work together to keep this important program going strong.”
Supporters of SB 2, including the California Association of Winegrape Growers, Family Winemakers of California and the Wine Institute, state that the great inter-governmental and industry coordination through the Pierce's Disease Control Program has proven an excellent model for pest control programs.
By extending the research funding of the program to include other significant pests and diseases threatening California grape growers, they assert, California will be able to build on the success of the Pierce's Disease Control Program to combat other significant pests to grapes grown in the state.
