In a news release issued October 9, 2019, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced that the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and several pesticide manufacturers have entered into an agreement to end use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos in California next year. The agreement requires pesticide manufacturers to end all sales of chlorpyrifos products to growers in California by February 6, 2020. After December 31, 2020, growers will no longer be allowed to possess or use chlorpyrifos products in California.
In May 2019, DPR initiated a ban on the use of chlorpyrifos by canceling the pesticide’s product registrations. The decision followed findings by the state’s independent Scientific Review Panel on Toxic Air Contaminants that chlorpyrifos causes serious health effects in children and other sensitive groups – including effects on brain and neurological development – at lower levels of exposure than previously identified. A few products that apply chlorpyrifos in granular form will be allowed to remain on the market as these products are not associated with detrimental health effects.
DPR and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have established a cross-sector workgroup to identify safer alternatives to chlorpyrifos. The current state budget includes more than $5 million in grant funding to support development of safer alternatives. The workgroup will hold three public workshops beginning in January.
To read CalEPA’s news release in full, click here: https://calepa.ca.gov/2019/10/09/press-release-agreement-reached-to-end-sale-of-chlorpyrifos-in-ca-by-feb-2020/ [imbed]
If you would like more information about how the chlorpyrifos ban may affect you or your business, please contact us at [email protected].
© 2019 – Hartman King PC. All rights reserved. The information in this article has been prepared by Hartman King PC for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.