Phillippe Diederich/Getty Images

The current battles being waged across the state of California over pesticides continue to grow, most notably in regards to the embattled strawberry industry. But it's not just strawberries, as it was announced this week that a pair of pesticides dealers in the San Joaquin Valley have been fined $105,000 for selling an unauthorized pesticide to peach farmers.

As reported by the New Farm Press, Gar Tootelian Inc, and Britz-Simplot Grower Solutions LLC, were charged $60,000 and $45,000, respectively, for selling pesticide Comite in Fresno and Tulare counties. Gar Tootelian was charged with the practice from 2008 through 2010, Britz-Simplot from 2009 through 2010.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of Comite on peaches back in 1996 for being a potential carcinogen to fish and amphibians.

“Our investigation found that dealers who employ pest control advisers sold the product to growers who did not produce any field crops on which the product could legally be used,” said Department of Pesticide Regulation Director Brian R. Leahy to the Farm Press. “Dealers are licensed by DPR and responsible for knowing and complying with pesticide laws. Their compliance with these laws is critical to ensure the safety of the public, workers and our food supply.”

As a result of the pesticide’s usage, 24 million pounds of peaches worth more than an estimated $1.1 million were recalled in 2010.

Frank Rumpenhorst/AFP/Getty Images

While the war being waged over strawberry fumigant methyl iodide that we’ve been following came to an abrupt end, a new pesticide debate is heating up.

Just this week, beekeepers and environmentalists came together and filed a petition with more than one million signatures asking the EPA to ban the use of pesticide clothianidin. Petitioners claim harm the bees, often lethally.

"The future of beekeeping faces numerous threats, including from clothianidin, and we need to take steps to protect pollinators and the livelihood of beekeepers," said co-petitioner Steve Ellis of Old Mill Honey Co in a press release.

As reported in Business Week, the beekeepers say that the pesticide cripples the immune system of the bees, ultimately leading to colony collapse disorder, where all adult honeybees die or simply disappear.

While colony collapse disorder is a real problem, there are researchers who don’t believe clothianidin is the primary cause. As reported in the Southwest Farm Press, Extension Apiculturist and noted honeybee expert Eric Mussen says that there are multiple reasons behind the situation, including “pathogens, parasites, pesticides and malnutrition.”

This comes in the wake of Silver Lake becoming the latest Los Angeles neighborhood to officially approve beekeeping, as we detailed earlier this month.

Mark J. Terrill/AP

Just as the war over strawberry pesticide methyl iodide (also known as “Midas”) that we've been following was really heating up, it’s ended in the most abrupt fashion. As reported by MSNBC, Japanese manufacturer Arysta LifeScience announced this week that they’ve stopped all sales, marketing and production of the product in America.

"It's a financial decision," said a spokesperson for the company to the Grower. "It will allow Arysta to refocus its resources on other business."

The debate over the health risks of methyl iodide had reached a fever pitch recently, as the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted in favor of California Gov. Jerry Brown to reconsider using it over claims that it causes cancer.

"Arysta saw the writing on the wall and decided to pre-emptively pull cancer-causing methyl iodide off the shelves," said Paul Towers, the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit challenging the state's decision to authorize its use to the Ventura County Star. "This is an opportunity for California's leaders to help our farmers transition away from the use of fumigants.”

"The bigger issue is the loss of a tool," lamented California Strawberry Commission spokeswoman Carolyn O'Donnell. "In terms of being able to get rid of soil-borne diseases, the tool belt is getting a little emptier."

UPDATE: An earlier version of this post mistakenly identified Arysta as a Chinese company.

Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Pesticide methyl iodide has been generating controversy for years. By the time the State of California approved its use on local crops, California Senator Diane Feinstein had already called the fumigant into question over findings that it causes cancer. 

Last week, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution that asks California governor Jerry Brown to take another look at the just how safe it is to use the much-debated chemical, according to the Californian.

It’s a hotly contested debate in Monterey County, as methyl iodide is used to fumigate strawberry crops, which is a $751 million industry in the county. It had been approved by the EPA as a replacement for pesticide methyl bromide in 2007, with California’s Department of Pesticides getting onboard in 2010, despite methyl iodide being on the state’s list of cancer-causing agents.

While many applaud the move to ultimately ban the pesticide, not everyone agrees. A guest editorial in the Monterey Herald questions the regulation, with agricultural scientist Glen Kardel stating: “if methyl iodide is not used on strawberry fields in Monterey County, the crop will be greatly reduced, along with employment of workers in strawberry production, sending unemployment rates and welfare costs soaring, with an attendant hardship for families of farmworkers.”

On which side of the methyl iodide debate do you stand?

CORRECTION: The original headline of this blog post was misleading. The Board of Supervisors vote does not directly lead to the banning of methyl iodide.