The Virginia state delegate that proposed a bill in Virginia’s General Assembly that would require all agricultural aviators making an aerial application west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to provide seven-day notification for all such applications has withdrawn the bill from consideration. Advocacy by NAAA, the Virginia Farm Bureau and other ag interests was able to convince the delegate to withdraw the legislation, which NAAA originally reported last month.

NAAA first responded by putting together a fact sheet that laid out the importance of aerial applications in Virginia and highlighted some of the severe consequences of forcing all aerial applications to be postponed seven days to comply with the proposed law. It also detailed the EPA’s registration process, which ensures a pesticide can be applied aerially in a safe manner, and the technology used in modern ag aviation operations to ensure accurate and safe applications. NAAA sent the fact sheet to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Farm Bureau, CropLife America and a Virginia-based aerial application operation. The fact sheet is available here.