The N.C. Pesticide Board recently approved the following settlement agreements for cases in Cabarrus, Currituck, Iredell, Lenoir, Pasquotank, Pitt and Union counties. Settlements involved cases of pesticide drift and improper selling and application of pesticides. Settlements are listed by county below:
• (Cabarrus) Stephen N. Ruark, a licensed aerial pesticide applicator with Thunder Valley Ag Aviation in Pantego agreed to pay $2,100 for depositing pesticides by aircraft on the right-of-way of a public road near Midland.
• (Currituck) Joseph D. Etheridge, a licensed private pesticide applicator in Shawboro, agreed to pay $500 for using a pesticide in a manner inconsistent with its labeling. The label for the product used states that the pesticide should only be applied if the wind direction favors on-target deposition. Ethridge’s application on a field contacted a car on the road nearby.
• (Iredell) Christopher T. Heslin, a licensed pesticide dealer for SiteOne Landscape Supply in Mooresville, agreed to pay $1,200 for several improper sales of a restricted-use pesticide to someone with a fraudulent license.
• (Lenoir) Joshua Pridgen, a licensed pesticide dealer for Helena Agri Enterprise in Kinston agreed to pay $400 for improperly selling a pesticide that is only labeled for agricultural use sites to a commercial pesticide applicator who was not certified to use the particular pesticide.
• (Pasquotank) Matthew C. Crabbe, a licensed aerial pesticide applicator contractor for Crabbe Aviation in Mechanicsville, Va., agreed to pay $1,000 because pesticides he applied to a soybean field near Elizabeth City drifted onto a nearby apiary. The drift indicated a manner of use inconsistent with the pesticides’ labeling and therefore a violation of state law.
• (Granville) Mark W. Lyon, a licensed private pesticide applicator in Creedmoor, agreed to pay $600 for applying a soil fumigant to his fields without the proper licensing category on his license.
• (Union) Campbell F. Cox, a licensed private pesticide applicator in Monroe agreed to pay $600 for applying a paraquat herbicide without the required training.
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