Codling moth tax levy approved by Kelowna council

KELOWNA – Orchardists, and the rest of Kelowna, will pay just over $1 million in 2015 to combat the codling moth, a destructive pest that preys on apples and pears.

Kelowna council approved the local levy and parcel tax, which covers all properties within city boundaries. Properties of at least 0.3 acres, containing 20 or more possible codling moth host trees are assessed an additional $139.26 per acre based on assessment by the Sterile Insect Release administration.

The general levy provides the program with $719,000 while the parcel tax provides an additional $336,000, an increase of 0.56 per cent over last year’s budget.

According to the report submitted to council, the Sterile Insect Release program is administered through the Okanagan-Similkameen, Central and North Okanagan, and Columbia Shuswap regional districts. It has been in existence since the late 1990s.

The report praises the sterile insect release technology, where sterile moths are released into the wild, as an environmentally friendly way to reduce the need for chemical sprays. This in turn, reduces the impact on air, water and soil quality, and ultimately, local residents, while helping produce quality fruit.

The program also uses enforcement and specific elimination of codling moth infestations to achieve its goals.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.