Press Release | Filed Complaint | Final Judgment
Woodland, CA – December 16, 2022 – The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office reached a settlement with California-based Nor-Cal Farming Company (“Heer Farms”) over its violations of pesticide-related environmental regulations during the past several years.
In January 2018, the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner (“Ag Commission”) learned that Heer Farms failed to comply with certain safety laws and regulations while applying pesticides in Davis in late December, 2017. Further investigation by District Attorney Investigators revealed numerous additional violations of pesticide laws and regulations, including repeated failures by Heer Farms to submit timely pesticide use reports to the Ag Commission, as required by law.
On December 8, 2021, the District Attorney’s Office filed a civil complaint against Heer Farms, its owners, and other individuals. On December 5, 2022, a settlement was approved by Yolo County Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam. Heer Farms will pay $25,000.00 in civil penalties and costs and is subject to a Court-ordered requirement to obey all relevant laws statewide. Heer Farms is further ordered to provide advance notice to Davis residents living in the vicinity of its illegal December 2017 application before applying pesticides there in the future. For additional information, copies of the filed civil complaint and the final judgment, approved by the Court, are attached.
Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig stated, “It is of paramount importance that pesticides be applied in a manner that ensures the safety of employees and the public. We thank the Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner for the department’s hard work and assistance in this matter. The Yolo County District Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting public health and the environment when pesticides are applied to agricultural lands.”
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