Grower Comments on Pyrethroids Being Sought by EPA
May 15, 2017 EPA reopened the official comment docket regarding the preliminary ecological risk assessment for the pyrethroid class of insecticides today. It will remain open until July 7.
Pesticide industry experts note that grower comments are needed to ensure that EPA understands the importance of these pest control tools and that it has the most up-to-date use information to consider in its assessment.
Food crops including almonds, apples, tomatoes, and citrus, as well as feed crops including corn, soybean, and alfalfa, are among the 120 crops nationwide protected from pests because of bifenthrin (FMC; Brigade WSB, Hero, Mustang Maxx) and other pyrethroid products.
One of the most high-profile uses is against spotted wing drosophila, a pest capable of devastating soft fruits. Bifenthrin is used on an estimated 70% of the nation’s raspberries.
Growers and other interested stakeholders can submit comments in one of the following ways:
- Defendbifenthrin.com – This website provides guidelines and draft sample comments that can be customized and automatically submitted to the official EPA docket
- Regulations.gov – Stakeholders can upload comments directly to the docket here.
- Pyrethroid Working Group website – This website provides a sample comment draft that can be further customized and submitted directly to the EPA docket
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