WASHINGTON, D.C. - CropLife America (CLA) joined more than 350 organizations engaged with pesticide products in a letter sent to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives that affirms these organizations’ support the pesticide regulatory system in place today under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). The letter is in response to recently introduced legislation (S. 3283) that would undermine the science-based standards contained within our nation’s pesticide law. This is the second time these organizations have reached out to Congress to voice concern over similar proposed legislation.

“This legislation, as introduced, undermines the work of EPA’s career scientists in the evaluation of pesticide registration and use,” said Chris Novak, CLA president and CEO. “The evaluation of each pesticide requires the agency’s career scientists to review hundreds of studies to determine whether and/or how a pesticide can be safely used. Within the current regulatory system, only about one in 10,000 discoveries makes the long journey from the lab to the farmer’s field—a process that can take more than 12 years,” Novak continued. “This risk-based approach is necessary to ensure that farmers have new tools to combat the weeds and insects that threaten the safety, productivity, and sustainability of our nation’s food supply.”

FIFRA has been amended by Congress several times to strengthen the regulatory standard for safety – most recently through the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) that added specific protections for infants and children. Under the provisions of the current law, pesticides that are approved for use are subject to continuous review whenever new scientific data becomes available. Officially, federal regulators must review each pesticide approved for use in the U.S. every 15 years, but the reality is that the pace of scientific development means regulators are making formal assessments much more frequently as more data becomes available.

The proposed legislation would jeopardize the continued availability and innovation of pesticide products by imposing an unscientific and unbalanced process that could unnecessarily remove pest control options from those who need them to safely grow crops, to adopt conservation practices such as conservation tillage and resource-saving crop rotations, to protect homes and infrastructure, to control pathogens and disease vectors, and to maintain green spaces, such as parks and golf courses.