Possible New Pesticide Rules

Possible New Pesticide Rules

Possible New Pesticide Rules. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Line On Agriculture.

The environmental protection agency is considering new rules for applying pesticides.  American Farm Bureau Crop Protection specialist Tyler Wegmeyer says one new provision would be nearly impossible for farmers to adhere to.

WEGMEYER: It’s going to have an unattainable zero-tolerance standard in which it will say that you can absolutely have no spray drift.

Spray drift is just what it sounds like: the amount of the sprayed chemical that drifts away from the intended target. 

WEGMEYER: So what EPA is saying is that that is not allowable under any circumstances. Attaining a zero drift standard is completely unattainable.   Drift happens.  It’s just a matter of limiting its effects and farmers are taking every precaution that they possibly can through technology and through application practices to make sure that minimal drift occurs.  But you cannot prevent every single molecule of that crop protection product from going to that specific area.

Wegmeyer says applying pesticides is already strictly regulated.  Applying a product in a way that spray drift could contact workers or anyone else is already prohibited.  

WEGMEYER: Farmers need access to crop protection products.  When a disease or insect infestation comes on and you need to react, you need to do it immediately. You do not have the ability to wait.  If these new stringent standards come into play, it is going to take products off the market.  It is going to make products unavailable for farmers to use which is going to affect their crop production, whether they’re a corn farmer in the Midwest or they’re a strawberry producer in California

Wegmeyer says the proposal from the EPA would have serious consequences.

WEGMEYER: We support the overall goal, but in getting to the goal there are severe consequences for farmers.  It will put farmers out of business.  It will take land out of production and it will effect the availability of our food supply. 

And as mentioned, strict rules already exist for applying pesticides.

WEGMEYER: Every crop protection product that is labeled through the environmental protection agency has a list of detailed rules in the way that you should apply that particular product.  Farmers abide by that.  That’s the rule of the land.  The label is the law. Farmers are taking every step possible right now to make sure that whatever they spray goes to its intended target.  They have no incentive to have spray drift happen.  It’s harmful.  It costs a lot of money and so they do everything now to make sure that they spray in a very prudent manner. 

That’s today’s Line On Agriculture. I’m Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.

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