WASHINGTON, D.C. — Discussions about two pesticide programs will impact farmers.

 

Implementation of the Certification and Training of Pesticide Applicators (C&T) rule has been extended 12 months. The U.S. EPA is requesting that public comments about the new effective date, May 22, 2018, be submitted by May 19, 2017.

 

The additional time is meant to allow the EPA to consult with states and assist with education, training and guidance, said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, and prevent unnecessary burdens from overshadowing the rule’s intended benefits. “We presented them with a problem, and they took quick action to begin fixing it,” said Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens. “It’s time for government to get out of the way and let our farmers farm.”

 

Barbara Glenn, CEO of the National Assoc. of State Departments of Agriculture (NSDA), said members appreciate the extra time, which will allow the states to work with EPA partners to ensure adequate training resources and compliance assistance activities.

 

In a meeting last week, the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry started the review process for the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act, or PRIA. For almost 15 years, PRIA has been a valuable tool for farmers, the EPA and other stakeholders in providing certainty needed to fight pest and weed infestations, said Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). “Agriculture is a risky business. Our producers know there are few certainties, if any, that they can rely on in the field,” she said.

 

PRIA has provided regulatory certainty off the farm, too, in products from household cleaners to treatments for Ebola and avian influenza. Pesticide registration fees are used to support education and training programs for farmers and farm workers, Stabenow said.

 

Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual and past chair of the National Sorghum Producers, urged the committee to approve PRIA. “Both (citrus and sorghum) are threatened by new and invasive pests that have the potential to wipe out their viability,” he said. “Farmers need tools, we need options for dealing with existential threats to our livelihood and our ability to produce the food and fiber necessary to feed the nation and beyond.”

 

Recently, farmers have been annoyed about regulations that have negatively impacted their ability to manage crop pests. They rely on federal and academic researchers, crop protection industries and regulators at the EPA to investigate, develop and approve tools that are safe for humans and the environment and effective, Murden said. “The agriculture community recognized that approving products like pesticides … come with inherent risk,” he said. “We need the EPA to be sufficiently staffed with smart, qualified and dedicated people who can properly evaluate products in a timely manner.”

 

PRIA provides a smooth pathway for new and effective products. In Georgia, about 15,000 pesticide products are registered annually and licenses are issued to more than 30,000 certified pesticide applicators, said Gary Black, state ag commissioner and NASDA member, as an ambassador, advocate, regulator and educatorduring the hearing.

 

These registrations occur after the EPA has already reviewed and approved the pesticides for specific use. “The regulatory burden over the last decade has put considerable stress on our agency, our land grant university system and partnering stakeholders who are charged with pesticide registration and enforcement,” he said.

 

PRIA is due to expire in September, Black explained. The program provides predictable funding for the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs and provides an efficient plan for product review and market availability.

 

“PRIA has attracted wide, bipartisan support due to its unique success of delivering good government through stakeholder collaboration,” he said.

 

Public comments for the C&T rule can be made by May 19 at www.regulations.gov by referencing #EPAHQ-OPP-2011-0183.