SECRETARY KAWAMURA WELCOMES MORE THAN $13 MILLION IN FARM BILL FUNDING FOR CALIFORNIA

Invasive species programs to benefit

SACRAMENTO – January 20, 2010 – The USDA has announced more than $13 million in funding for California invasive species programs – part of a $45 million nationwide allocation made possible by the 2008 Farm Bill.

"This is money that we’ll be able to use right away in our fight to protect California from invasive species," said CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura. "I want to thank Congress and USDA Secretary Vilsack for their roles in providing this funding. They’re our partners in protecting the environment and the food supply."
 
Among the projects funded are: parcel inspection dogs at shipping facilities - more than $3 million; high-risk pest detection – more than $6 million; and a statewide survey for European grapevine moth – more than $332,000.

The USDA provided the funding for cooperators around the country working on pest and disease management and disaster prevention. Next steps for CDFA will be the development of formal work plans and the finalization of cooperative agreements with the USDA.

The California projects will help support the Farm Bill goal of building strong systems to safeguard the health of the environment and food supply using early plant pest detection and surveillance, threat identification, and mitigation.

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