What Ag Interests Can Do To Stand up for Pesticide Regulations
November 6, 2020 As a mom, I want to protect children. I think that’s something we can all agree is vitally important.
As a pesticide industry advocate, I also want to make sure science, and not emotion, drives pesticide regulatory decisions, particularly when the health of children, farmworkers, and consumers is being considered.
That’s why H.R. 7940 and S. 4406, the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act of 2020, have me concerned. As originally introduced, these bills jeopardize the science-based standards currently contained within our nation’s pesticide laws.
Given the ongoing national issues with the coronavirus pandemic, I don’t know just how far this legislation will go this year. Regardless, just by being introduced, these bills provide an opportunity to educate people about the strengths of the current regulatory process of pesticide registration.
That’s why the Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association (FFAA) was one of more than 300 ag and conservation organizations that recently signed on to a letter sent to all members of Congress in support of current pesticide regulations. The letter reaffirmed support for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the current regulatory process for pesticide approvals.
Why Pesticide Regulation Is Important
In a news release about the letter, Chris Novak, CropLife America’s President and CEO, states, “The proposed legislation puts science in the back seat and lets politics drive decisions on the safe use of pesticides. Pesticides are a necessary tool to protect our fields, our homes, our health, and the sustainability of our food supply.”
The letter spells out what is at stake: “…the legislation as introduced would gut decades of federal regulation and scientific progress, undermining the work of EPA’s career scientists in the evaluation of pesticide safety and oversight of pesticide registration and use. The bills would jeopardize the continued availability and innovation of pesticide products by imposing an unscientific and unbalanced process that could unnecessarily remove pest control options from those who need them to safely grow crops, protect homes and infrastructure, control pathogens and disease vectors, and maintain green spaces such as parks and golf courses.”
How You Can Help
With proposed legislation like this, it’s important our elected leaders hear from growers and industry members that the current system works well.
FFAA’s support of FIFRA for pesticide regulation stems from the association’s mission of supporting the responsible use of pesticides in Florida. Responsible use includes relying on science and following the label directions for the protection of people and the environment.
You can help FFAA fulfill its mission by sharing information with our elected leaders. They might be interested to learn:
• FIFRA is the Federal statute that governs the registration, distribution, sale, and use of pesticides in the U.S.
• The primary objective of FIFRA is to ensure, when applied as instructed, pesticides will not generally cause unreasonable risk to human health or the environment.
• All pesticides distributed or sold in the U.S. must be registered by the EPA and then re-registered every 15 years.
• EPA is required to review the most current scientific data on health and environmental impacts for all pesticide products and impose requirements to minimize any risks before they are made available for sale and use. The data must show that products work as intended and can be used safely.
• Product label restrictions and instructions are designed to ensure a product is used effectively and safely in a manner that mitigates any identified risks.
• FIFRA already requires EPA to consider economic, social, and environmental benefits and risks, and the Food Quality Protection Act adds special considerations for risks to infants and children when determining if a product can be registered.
• While re-registration is required to occur at least every 15 years, it can and often does occur more frequently. EPA can initiate a review if scientific data becomes available that questions the safety of a product. For example, some of the organophosphate products specifically mentioned in H.R. 7940 and S. 4406 have undergone multiple EPA risk assessments since 1996.
• Within our current regulatory system, only about one in 10,000 discoveries makes the long journey from the lab to the farmer’s field — a process that can take up to 12 years. The evaluation of each pesticide requires EPA’s career scientists to review hundreds of studies to determine whether and/or how a pesticide can be safely used.
FFAA will continue to work to defend our nation’s robust regulatory pesticide registration process. Your support of these efforts is appreciated.