EPA Proposes Registration of New Nematicide Active Ingredient

This original announcement was published on July 23, 2021. Click here for more information.

 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking comments on its proposal to register the new pesticide active ingredient fluazaindolizine for agricultural use.

Fluazaindolizine is a sulfonamide nematicide that EPA expects will play a role in resistance management and integrated pest management programs to help delay the further development of nematicide resistance.

Proposed uses of fluazaindolizine include carrots and cucurbit vegetables and certain fruiting, tuberous, and corm vegetables. Other use sites include certain other crops that will not bear fruit within a year of nematicide application: citrus fruit, stone fruit, tree nuts, and small vine-climbing fruit (except fuzzy kiwi).

The human health and ecological hazard profiles for fluazaindolizine indicate that it is a reduced-risk alternative for all its proposed uses when compared to registered alternatives.

After conducting robust scientific assessments, EPA concluded that there are no risk concerns for humans. The ecological risk assessment showed no risk concerns for non-listed (i.e., not endangered or threatened) fish, aquatic invertebrates, plants, and birds. Risks have been identified for mammals and honey bees near use sites. These risks are mitigated with label instructions requiring soil incorporation and mandatory spray drift restrictions for broadcast applications.

EPA is committed to making progress on protecting endangered species, including conducting analyses and putting mitigations in place earlier in the registration process. For listed (i.e., endangered or threatened) species, EPA has made no-effect determinations for fish, aquatic invertebrates, and aquatic plants that do not rely on terrestrial organisms for habitat, prey, or pollination services.

Although EPA has not made effects determinations for listed birds (including reptiles and amphibians), mammals, terrestrial invertebrates, and terrestrial plants, or aquatic listed species that rely on terrestrial organisms, the agency has added mitigation to reduce potential exposure to terrestrial species. EPA expects that this mitigation may also reduce potential risks to groups that rely on terrestrial organisms for habitat, prey, or pollination services. Proposed mitigation includes mandatory spray drift language, prohibition of overhead chemigation, application of fluazaindolizine to the ground under the plant canopy, and mandatory incorporation into the soil by mechanical means or water.

EPA is accepting public comments on this proposal through docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0065 at www.regulations.gov for 15 days.

EPA Offers Virtual Training for Pesticide Applicators in Indian Country

This original message was published by the EPA on July 16, 2021. Click here for more information. 

 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a free, two-day training webinar on August 11-12, 2021, to certify participants as private applicators of restricted-use pesticides (RUPs) in Indian country under the EPA Plan for the Federal Certification of Applicators of Restricted Use Pesticides within Indian Country (EPA Plan). 

RUPs require special care to avoid harming human health and the environment. In accordance with the requirements in 40 CFR § 171, RUPs can only be sold to or used by pesticide applicators who are specially certified, or to persons under the direct supervision of a certified applicator. RUPs can only be used in areas where EPA has explicitly approved or implemented an applicator certification plan for that state, tribe or federal agency.

Any person who uses RUPs within Indian country under the EPA Plan needs a federal certification from EPA. Additionally, some tribes may choose to further restrict or prohibit the use of RUPs in their areas through the implementation of tribal codes, laws, regulations or other applicable requirements. The EPA Plan does not supersede such tribal requirements. Applicators of RUPs in Indian country should take steps to determine if there are additional tribal requirements they must follow.

Applicators interested in attending the two-day, 12-hour course should express interest by emailing EPAcertplan@epa.gov by August 9, 2021. EPA plans to hold another training on November 17-18, 2021.

Comment Period Extended for Draft Risk Assessments and Proposed Mitigation Measures for Sulfuryl Fluoride

This original announcement was published by the EPA on July 15, 2021. Click here for more information.

 

EPA has extended the public comment period for the draft risk assessments and proposed mitigation measures for sulfuryl flouride. Comments are now due by September 23, 2021 and should be submitted to docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0136 at www.regulations.gov.

For the registration review of sulfuryl fluoride, which includes all the uses of the pesticide, EPA released sulfuryl fluoride draft risk assessments (DRAs), including the combined ecological draft risk assessment and drinking water assessment, and the occupational and residential risk assessment for public comment in May 2021.

The DRAs are part of a multi-step process to identify risks as well as actions that can mitigate risks. After considering public comments, EPA will proceed with registration review by issuing the proposed interim decision, which will propose measures to reduce human health and ecological risks.

The Sulfuryl Fluoride Draft Interim Re-entry Mitigation Measures Memorandum also released in May 2021 outlines the new safety measures EPA is proposing for fumigation uses and is in response to the EPA Office of Inspector General’s December 2016 Report No. 17-P-0053 that was conducted to assess which additional safety measures could be taken to prevent serious injuries from use of this pesticide during residential fumigation.

After a thorough review of public comments, EPA will issue the Final Interim Re-entry Mitigation Measures Memorandum, including the label requirements for sulfuryl fluoride products.

Additional information on sulfuryl fluoride can be found on EPA’s website.

EPA Seeking Public Comment on Petition Related to Seresto Pet Collars

This original announcement was published by the EPA on July 13, 2021. Click here for more information.

 

As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) work to address concerns raised about pet collars, the agency is asking for public comment on a petition from the Center for Biological Diversity requesting that the agency cancel the registration of insecticide product PNR1427, more commonly known by its brand name Seresto (EPA Registration No. 11556-155), and to suspend the registration pending cancellation. Seresto is a brand name for dog and cat collars designed to kill fleas, ticks, and lice and contains the active ingredients flumethrin and imidacloprid.

EPA understands and shares the public’s concerns about reported incidents with Seresto pet collars. The agency is working to gather information about these incidents and will use this information to determine whether these pet collars still meet the legally required safety standard for registration under FIFRA.

To that end, in April 2021, EPA wrote to Elanco and Bayer, the current and previous holders of the registration at issue, requesting additional information on incidents to better characterize the nature and scale of the incident reports. The information EPA requested was more extensive than standard reporting practices yield.

EPA has received the requested data and will use this information, along with any relevant information received during the public comment on this petition, to determine if any additional action is needed.

The agency encourages pet owners to discuss with their veterinarian when flea and tick control is needed for their pets and which type of control product they should use. Pet owners should read the entire label before using the recommended product and follow all directions carefully, as well as monitor the pet after treatment.

Consumers whose pet experiences adverse reactions from treatment with a flea and tick product should consult their veterinarian immediately. They should also contact the National Pesticide Information Center, an EPA information-sharing partner that has staff who are specially trained in responding to pesticide exposure incidents, including those involving pets.  For flea and tick collars specifically, pet owners should remove the collar immediately if the pet experiences any adverse reaction. In addition, consumers whose pets experienced an adverse reaction from pet collars or topical treatments should also report the incident on EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/pets.

The public comment period on the petition is now open for 60 days. The petition will soon be available in docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPP-2021-0409 at www.regulations.gov. After carefully considering public input and the requests of the petition, EPA will respond to the petition.

More information on protecting pets from fleas and ticks can be found on EPA’s website.

EPA Takes Action in Response to Supply-Chain Disruptions for Inert Ingredients

This original announcement was published by the EPA on July 3, 2021. Click here for more information. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to alleviate a supply-chain issue facing the pesticide industry. EPA is allowing registrants of non-antimicrobial pesticide products to substitute some combination of pre-approved alternate inert ingredients for inert ingredients derived from propylene oxide (PO) feedstocks that are in limited supply due to weather events that occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast in February 2021. EPA is allowing these substitutions even in cases where propylene glycol is added to the formulation or is part of a brand-name mixture in which the full composition is known to the registrant.

The pre-approved alternates are glycerin (CAS Reg. No. 56-81-5), diethylene glycol (CAS Reg. No. 111-46-6), ethylene glycol (CAS Reg No. 107-21-1); and/or 1,3-propanediol (CAS Reg. No. 504-63-2).

This action, known as “Propylene Glycol Phase 2 – ‘Not In-Kind’ Substitution Mechanism,” relates only to non-antimicrobial pesticide products. The agency will handle “not-in-kind” substitutions for antimicrobial pesticide products on a case-by-case basis.

sis.In April 2021, EPA implemented “Propylene Glycol Phase 1 – ‘In-Kind’ Substitution Mechanism,” to allow certain in-kind substitutions to address propylene glycol supply-chain shortages.

These actions require registrants to self-certify that the substitute inert ingredients serve the same function in the product as propylene glycol and that the change will not impact either the validity of any product-specific data submitted in support of the registration or the product’s acute toxicity category or physical/chemical characteristics in a way that would require label modifications. Registrants must also certify that the substitution will not affect the product’s fitness for its intended purposes in terms of efficacy, phytotoxicity, or any other factor.

This action is time limited, extending to December 31, 2021. Any registrants who wish to make the substitution permanent will have to go through the standard amendment process outlined in PRN 98-10.