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JULY NEWS All Sulfur Not Equal in Wineries State licenses hundreds of winery workers to apply sulfur dioxide S acramento, Calif.—It's been two years since the California Department of Pesticide Regulation first cracked down on SO2 use in wineries, specifying that wineries using the same formula for a wine additive as they do for a cork sanitizer are in violation of state regulations. According to the CDPR, SO2 if it is used to kill microbes during sanita- tion, and pesticides must be registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the CDPR. Although the regulation is not new, re- ported use of unregistered pesticidal sulfur dioxide in recent years prompted DPR to crack down on the practice. "Pesticides are registered to ensure people and the environment are protected. Unregistered pesticide products lack impor- is considered a pesticide tant safety information," said CDPR's Lea Brooks. "The only sulfur dioxide product currently registered for wine barrel and cork sanitation in addition to commodity fumiga- tion is a federally restricted-use pesticide." County agricultural commissioners enforce pesticide-use laws and regulations at the local level, and CDPR pursues civil penalties against entities caught selling unregistered products. Since SO2 is a restricted-use pesticide, U.S. and California laws require that win- eries that buy or use re- stricted-use pesticides must have at least winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "SO2 license." Cherokee_Nov05.qxt 9/19/05 10:52 AM Page 1 one employee with a qualified applicator certificate or qualified applicator license. To obtain the certifications, workers must pass two tests offered by CDPR. During 2010, the state of California licensed 734 individuals employed by wineries as certified applicators to use sulfur dioxide, Brooks said. Another 76 individu- als employed by businesses that provide services to wineries were licensed to use sulfur dioxide, for a total of 810. A CDPR fact sheet explaining require- ments for sulfur dioxide use in wineries is posted online along with test dates to become a certified user. —Kate Lavin hauling precious cargo • 24 hour dispatch • Competitive rates • Personalized Service • Radio/Cell phone equipped • State-of-the-art equipment • Maximum payload capacity • Over 30 years in operation • References available • Fleet of over 200 trucks including Wine Tanks and Dry Freight Vans CHEROKEE FREIGHT LINES 5463 Cherokee Road • Stockton, CA 95215 Telephone: 209.931.3570 • or visit our website:www.gocfl.com 16 Wines & Vines JULY 2011