WASHINGTON, D.C. – CropLife America (CLA) joined more than 400 organizations 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. 269) that would undermine the science-based standards contained within our nation’s pesticide law. This is the third time these organizations have reached out to Congress to voice concern over similar proposed legislation. 

"Pesticides play an important role in protecting public health and infrastructure, improving the sustainability of our food supply, and mitigating climate change," said Chris Novak, CLA president and CEO.

"The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act gives the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate pesticides under a rigorous scientific foundation that balances the risks and benefits of every pesticide on the market today. The career scientists at EPA work to help ensure that pesticide products approved by the agency will have no unreasonable adverse effect on human health, wildlife, or the environment. The regulatory framework used by EPA is viewed globally as a gold standard for pesticide regulation. Any legislation seeking to ban individual chemistries and politicize the regulatory process undermines EPA’s work and the long-standing laws that serve our nation well." 

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, adopt conservation practices such as conservation tillage and resource-saving crop rotations, protect homes and infrastructure, control pathogens and disease vectors, and maintain green spaces, such as parks and golf courses.