Lawmakers Request $32 Million In Federal Funds To Fight ‘Catastrophic’ California Wine Pest

Glassy-winged sharpshooters are seen in a petri dish at the University of California, Riverside, in Riverside, Calif., Monday, March 2, 2009. (Photo: AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Lawmakers have requested $32.2 million in emergency funds from the USDA to fight a pest infestation looming over California’s wine industry. Senators say that the infestation — first detected through grapevines sold at Costco — could pose a “potentially catastrophic” threat unless immediate action is taken.

The pest in question is the glassy-winged sharpshooter, a species of leafhopper that typically clocks in at around half an inch in length. Accidentally introduced to California in the late 1980s, the bugs eat grapevines and spread a bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease, an incurable infection that withers and kills vines by clogging their waterways.

Warning signs first appeared in late May, when local officials detected the pests in nursery grapevines sold at nearly two dozen Costco locations across the state. The infestation was traced back to a single nursery, and 63 affected vines were located and destroyed. However, lawmakers now suspect that the crops have been transported to residential homes in at least 38 different counties, many of which are located in and near key grape-producing regions.

In a letter sent to the US Department of Agriculture last week, senators and congressmembers urged the government to send funds before the end of the month, lest the state’s $170.5 billion wine industry be put at urgent risk.

“If left unchecked, the California Department of Food and Agriculture estimates that losses associated with PD/GWSS could eclipse $104 million annually,” the lawmakers wrote.

The funding would be used to support emergency response efforts, including ongoing tracing, surveying and trapping programs over the next three years.

A recent report from the University of Alberta suggests that glassy-winged sharpshooters already cost California over $110 million per year. Approximately $65 million of that figure is made up of lost production and the replacement of vines, while the remaining $45 million accounts for the cost of damage mitigation.

The pests were first declared a serious threat in August of 1999, when over 300 acres of grapevines in Temecula, Riverside County, were infected and subsequently destroyed. According to the University of California, Pierce’s disease destroyed over 1,000 acres of grapevines in the state between 1994 and 2000, causing $30 million in damages.

“While many vines have been intercepted and destroyed, locating the thousands that may still be in customers’ hands remains our top priority,” California Secretary of Agriculture Karen Ross said in a press release earlier this month. “Anyone who purchased these vines should contact their local agricultural commissioner immediately.”