The EPA announced last week it will not ban the use of chlorpyrifos, a critical crop protection product used on more than 50 fruit, nut, cereal and vegetable crops in response to activist groups’ petition to remove the product from the market. Instead, the agency said it will expedite the registration review process under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) that requires pesticides to be reregistered with the EPA every 15 years. An EPA spokesperson said the reregistration should now “be completed well before the 2022 statutory deadline."

Corteva, the manufacturer of chlorpyrifos, released a statement saying, “Completion of Registration Review will provide needed certainty to growers who rely on chlorpyrifos and needed reassurance for the public that labeled  uses will not pose unacceptable risk to public health or the environment… Chlorpyrifos is one of the most widely studied crop protection products in the world. Labeled uses of chlorpyrifos rest on five decades of experience in use, health surveillance of manufacturing workers and applicators, and more than 4,000 studies and reports examining the product in terms of health, safety and the environment.”

The original petition to remove chlorpyrifos from the market was filed in 2007 by the Pesticide Action Network North America and the Natural Resources Defense Council. As a result, the Obama administration’s EPA proposed to revoke all food tolerances for chlorpyrifos. NAAA met with EPA to discuss its proposed decision on the chlorpyrifos ban and submitted comments to keep chlorpyrifos on the market for aerial application. Numerous farm and application groups also petitioned to keep the long-time insecticide on the market. 

After a slew of court battles, the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, issued a ruling in April of this year giving the EPA 90 days to make a determination on the petition. You can read the EPA’s full determination announcing a denial of the petition here.

CropLife America, a national trade association that represents the manufacturers, formulators and distributors of pesticides, released a statement saying, “The availability of pesticides, like chlorpyrifos, is relied upon by farmers to control a variety of insect pests and by public health officials who work to control deadly and debilitating pests like mosquitos. To address these essential needs, CropLife America is encouraged that EPA has chosen to expedite the regulatory review. A decision that reinforces the integrity of the registration process, protection of consumers and the needs of farmers and health officials who rely on this vital tool.”