According to two recent notices issued by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the registration allowing the application of chlorpyrifos to food crops will be cancelled.
The two Federal Register notices are the latest actions EPA has taken to comply with an April 2021 Ninth Circuit court ruling on chlorpyrifos that compelled EPA to decide whether to ban chlorpyrifos for food crops.
The EPA announced in August 2021 that the product no longer meets the safety standards of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act due to scientific evidence that small amounts of chlorpyrifos can damage the developing brains of children. Under the law, the use of chlorpyrifos on food crops will be banned from February 28, 2022, the EPA said.
The EPA has also been working with pesticide makers to ask them to voluntarily cancel registrations granted by another law, the federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, that allowed them to use chlorpyrifos on food crops.
In a notice issued Tuesday, the EPA announced that Corteva and two other companies have voluntarily canceled their use of more than a dozen pesticide formulations made with chlorpyrifos on cherries, corn, cucumbers, wheat and other grains, fruits and vegetables.
In a notification issued on Wednesday, the EPA announced its intention to cancel the registration of the last batch of chlorpyrifos for food use held by India's Gharda Chemicals. But Gharda disagreed with the deregistration of some of the products it sells to combat fruit, nut, sweet potato and other crop pests. The EPA plans to take action within a month, unless it is required to hold a hearing opposing the action.
Gharda Chemicals filed a lawsuit in May, along with the Red River Valley Sugar Beet Growers Association, the American Soybean Association and other groups, asking the Eighth Circuit to order the EPA to lift its ban.
Corteva announced in 2020 that it would withdraw from the chlorpyrifos market, which opened the door for Gharda to increase sales. "If Corteva fails to meet market demand, we are ready to step in," said Ram Seethapathi, president of India's Gharda Chemicals subsidiary.
The EPA's notice comes as industry groups battle chlorpyrifos in court as a perceived "vital" tool for protecting grains, fruits and vegetables from the pest. The case will begin oral argument on Dec. 15 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Source AgroPages
