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Division of Agriculture Kenneth Ayars, Chief 235 Promenade Street Providence, RI 02908-5767 (401) 222-2781 fax 222-6047 OVERVIEW The responsibilities of the Program include a broad range of agriculture-related functions and others traditionally associated with agricultural agencies nationally, such as mosquito abatement. There are six primary program areas described below. Animal Health Unit This unit in the Program of Agriculture and Resource Marketing enforces state laws and regulations, controls the spread of diseases that impact the livestock industry and also diseases, such as rabies, that can spread from animals to people. Adequate control of tuberculosis in livestock allows farmers access to out-of-state markets that would be closed to them by federal law if the state could not certify that Rhode Island-raised livestock were disease-free. The rabies program has become critical now that this disease is established in the state's raccoon population. Only an intensive rabies-control program will prevent this disease from spreading to domestic animals and then to people. DEM's veterinarian plays a key role in this program. This unit also undertakes the inspection of honeybee hives to ensure that diseases and pests are controlled, which might otherwise spread to hives throughout the state. Mosquito Abatement Coordination Unit This unit of the Program works closely with the Rhode Island Mosquito Abatement Board and the Rhode Island Department of Health to ensure that there is not an outbreak of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in Rhode Island. This can only be achieved through intensive monitoring of mosquito populations and by working closely with municipalities to develop control programs. In 1993, a child died of Eastern Equine Encephalitis contracted on Block Island. More people might have died had not DEM and DOH responded quickly to monitor mosquito populations and inform the public about risks and precautions. In the summer of 1996, the statewide mosquito monitoring resulted in early detection of Eastern Equine Encephalitis in species of mosquitoes that are known to bite humans. This early detection resulted in a coordinated effort by DEM and DOH to: warn the public; recommend and implement strategies for reducing personal risk; provide affected towns with pesticides, equipment, and technical assistance in controlling adult and larval mosquitoes; and, in the Town of Westerly, undertake an aerial spraying of pesticides to control unprecedented numbers of EEE-carrying mosquitoes in the town. The early detection and ability to act quickly may have saved human infection and even death. In 1993, with fewer pockets of EEE-carrying mosquitoes, one Rhode Island child died from EEE. Pesticide Unit This unit is responsible for enforcing state laws and regulations developed to protect people from poisonings and to prevent environmental degradation that might result from improper use of pesticides on farms, in yards, and inside homes. Through this program, commercial pesticide applicators are trained, tested, and licensed to achieve a level of competence in the pesticide application industry. Without diligent enforcement of these regulations, there would be an increased incidence of pesticide poisonings and environmental damage. Agriculture/Marketing and Promotion Unit Through agricultural promotion and market development programs, this unit carries out marketing initiatives and strategies designed to promote Rhode Island grown products and, thereby, increase the income of local farmers. Since the inception of these promotional programs, Rhode Island agricultural revenue has risen from $38 million in 1980 to $141 million in 1993. This increase has a still greater impact when considering multiplier effects throughout the economy. Farmland Ecology Unit The staff of this unit works with, and regulates, farmers to ensure that agricultural activities do not negatively impact the state's valuable wetland and groundwater resources. Plant Industry Unit Federal law requires that Rhode Island nursery stock must be inspected and certified to be disease free in order to be sold out-of-state. Without such certification, these plants could not be shipped out-of-state so the state's nursery industry would suffer dramatic losses. This program is critical to the economic viability of Rhode Island's $85 million per year nursery industry, most of the sales being out-of-state. This unit also conducts testing of fertilizers and animal feed to ensure that the contents are as marked. |
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rev. 6/4/08