A Morton farmer has been fined $250,000 by the Illinois Department of Agriculture [IDOA] for applying pesticides on a farm near the Bethel Lutheran School while the school was hosting an outdoor event.
In the notice of the fine, Mark Eigsti also received notice of the revocation of his private applicator and operator licenses as a result of violating the Illinois Pesticide Act.
That’s what Kate Vanderberg found in a Freedom of Information Act, or FOIA, request to the IDOA.
She left the initial complaint with IDOA after she and other parents were notified by the school by email that high winds drifted the pesticides from the farm across the street to the school’s parking lot. Vanderberg said she supports an amendment to the Illinois Pesticide Act to better protect families and communities.
Some Illinois lawmakers feel the same. Democratic state Rep. Laura Faver Dias, representing a suburb of Chicago, sponsored the bill to require farmers spraying pesticides near a school or park to send an email 72 hours in advance notifying when they would be applying the pesticides.
Opponents, such as Rep. Bill Hauter, the representative of the Morton farm, said the bill adds too much regulation to farmers. He also said more schools should have medical response plans to pesticide exposure.
The bill was referred to the rules committee on April 17 of this year and has had no movement since.
Reached by phone, Mark Eigsti declined to comment.
This story will be updated.
