USDA Announces Pesticide Regulatory Training Funding Opportunity

This original announcement was published by the EPA on July 25, 2019.

On July 9, 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) opened a Notice of Funding Opportunity to develop a series of web-based training modules. This training will help foreign pesticide regulators better understand EPA’s pesticide regulatory approach.

Both USDA FAS and EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs respond to many requests from foreign governments on pesticide regulatory issues. As such, USDA and EPA seek a partner to plan and develop web-based learning tools on topics to be identified in consultation with USDA and EPA. These topics are expected to include pesticide risk assessments, the U.S. pesticide registration process, data requirements, and the establishment of maximum residue levels (tolerances).

USDA’s announcement is posted on its grants web portal, which requires registration and logging in to see this and other funding opportunities. Applications for this funding opportunity must be submitted as described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity by Aug. 6, 2019. The award, which USDA anticipates will be announced in late August, will be up to $1 million over 24 months.

 

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EPA Registers New Uses for the Insecticide Sulfoxaflor

This announcement was originally published by the EPA on July 12, 2019. You can access more information here.


Registration provides benefits to growers and is supported by strong science that shows minimal risks for pollinators


Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insecticide sulfoxaflor  ̶  an effective tool to control challenging pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of the agency’s largest datasets on the effects of a pesticide on bees, EPA is approving the use of sulfoxaflor on alfalfa, corn, cacao, grains (millet, oats), pineapple, sorghum, teff, teosinte, tree plantations, citrus, cotton, cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, watermelons, some gourds), soybeans, and strawberries.

“EPA is providing long-term certainty for U.S. growers to use an important tool to protect crops and avoid potentially significant economic losses, while maintaining strong protection for pollinators,” said Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today’s decision shows the agency’s commitment to making decisions that are based on sound science.”

Sulfoxaflor is an important and highly effective tool for growers that targets difficult pests such as sugarcane aphids and tarnished plant bugs, also known as lygus. These pests can damage crops and cause significant economic loss. Additionally, there are few viable alternatives for sulfoxaflor for these pests. In many cases, alternative insecticides may be effective only if applied repeatedly or in a tank mix, whereas sulfoxaflor often requires fewer applications, resulting in less risk to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife.

EPA’s registration also includes updated requirements for product labels, which will include crop-specific restrictions and pollinator protection language.

Background

In 2016, following a 2015 decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the registration of sulfoxaflor citing inadequate data on the effects on bees, EPA reevaluated the data and approved registrations that did not include crops that attract bees. The 2016 registration allowed fewer uses than the initial registration and included additional interim restrictions on application while new data on bees were being obtained. Today’s action, adding new uses, restoring previous uses, and removing certain application restrictions is backed by substantial data supporting the use of sulfoxaflor.

For additional information, please visit: www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/decision-register-insecticide-sulfoxaflor-limited-uses-and.