Comment Period Open

EPA is in the process of the re-licensing decisions for soil fumigants. According to Jim Fitzgerald with Far West Agribusiness part of that process is the comment period.

FITZGERALD: We don't know exactly when the comment period will begin. We believe it will be later this month so we sent out a notification to members and the public through our website that the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA is in the process of making re-licensing decisions concerning all pesticide products. They do that every 15 years under the FIFRA requirements but this fall they're looking specifically at four soil fumigants.

And the EPA is looking for public comment on these fumigants.

FITZGERALD: Those four products are Methyl Bromide, Chloropicrin, Metam Sodium/Metam Potassium and Dazomet. So those are the four products that are typically handled in the northwest for potato fumigants and various crops that need to be fumigated including ornamentals. And of course EPA desires to make sure that those particular products are safe.

EPA is also working on the labeling of these products.

FITZGERALD: And any tweaks or modifications to those labels were in place by December of 2012. So by putting out a comment period this fall this is the first time there has been any label changes to have applied those particular products under the new label.

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