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Committee advances bill to give ag commissioners civil-penalty authority for neglected orchards and vineyards
Summary
AB 732, which would allow county agricultural commissioners to issue civil penalties to compel cleanup of abandoned or neglected agricultural land that harbors pests, passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee and moves to the Judiciary Committee after proponents described pest damage and high county abatement costs.
AB 732, legislation to give county agricultural commissioners additional enforcement tools to address neglected or abandoned orchards and vineyards, advanced out of the California State Assembly Committee on Agriculture and was due passed to the Judiciary Committee after proponents described pest risks and the high cost of current abatement procedures.
Assemblymember Macedo presented the bill and said falling commodity prices, water restrictions under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and other pressures have increased the number of fallowed and unmanaged acres. Supporters told the committee that abandoned perennial crops become breeding grounds for pests that can spread to adjacent farms.
Roger Isom, president and CEO of the California Cotton Ginners…
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