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The Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis (OPCA)

CDFA has a long history of promoting environmentally sound pest management programs. CDFA has invested millions of dollars in research to reduce the use and risk of pesticides in its eradication and control programs. This research has resulted in methods for early detection, sterile fly technology to eradicate fruit flies, and a statewide biological control program that uses natural enemies to reduce weed and insect pests. As part of these programs, CDFA determines the economic impacts of serious exotic pest threats.

Since 1992, CDFA also has had the responsibility of determining the economic impact to the agricultural industry of any regulations that will significantly affect the use of pesticides. When the Department of Pesticide Regulation split from CDFA as part of the formation of the California Environmental Protection Agency, legislation created a new unit in CDFA, called the Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis. Under a memorandum of understanding, the unit receives advance notice of regulatory changes affecting pesticides and provides the Department of Pesticide Regulation with information it needs to meet statutory mandates for adoption of regulations. Under these mandates, any State agency proposing to adopt a regulation must assess the potential for adverse impact on California business.

The Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis currently employs four environmental researchers and an economist who produce analyses on the uses of pesticides and any available alternatives to those products. The pest management role of the Office includes participation in a number of important activities related to pest management, including:

  • A major role in improving the reliability of the State's Pesticide Use Reporting database;
  • Participation on the Department of Pesticide Regulations Pest Management Advisory Committee, which annually provides grants to innovative pest management programs that reduce pesticide use;
  • Co-sponsorship of the national Conference on Sustainable Agriculture, which took place in California in March 2001;
  • Implementation of the federal Food Quality Protection Act; and
  • Analysis of pesticide use trends in major food commodities with the goal of reducing pesticide risk and improving technology transfer.

The Office's principal economic studies have been carried out under research contracts with the University of California, in an attempt to obtain independent, unbiased analyses of the potential consequences of significant regulatory actions.

Contact Information

Charlie Goodman, Program Manager
Office of Pesticide Consultation and Analysis
California Dept. of Food and Agriculture
1220 N. Street, Room 444
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 657-3888; 657-5017 (fax)
cgoodman@cdfa.ca.gov