California Winegrape Pest Assessment Reduced

California’s Department of Food and Agriculture has lowered the wine grape assessment to $0.75 per $1,000 dollars crushed value for the 2010 wine grape harvest.

During its June 29th meeting, the Pierce’s Disease/Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (PD/GWSS) Board recommended that CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura reduce the assessment from the $1.00 assessed the two previous harvests.

“By setting the rate at 75 cents per $1,000 of value for this year, the board feels it can continue with the important work that we’re doing on Pierce’s disease while acknowledging that this is a difficult time for growers all over the state,” said PD/GWSS Board Chairman Greg Coleman. “We are in a position to stay on track with our research goals and also provide a degree of relief to our growers, and the board felt it was important to do that under the current economic circumstances.”

The annual assessment is used primarily to fund research directed toward a solution for Pierce’s disease, a bacterium vectored by the glassy-winged sharpshooter that kills grape vines.

The PD/GWSS Board was established in 2001 to support scientific research to find a solution for Pierce’s disease. An annual assessment paid by winegrape growers supports its research efforts. The board also advises the CDFA on a variety of other issues pertaining to Pierce’s disease and the glassy-winged sharpshooter.