EPA ban draws farm critics

American Farm Bureau Federation has urged the federal government to reconsider its decision to ban a crop-protection material widely used on crops including tree fruits and nuts, vegetables and other produce.

A pending U.S.Environmental Protection Agency rule will prohibit use of chlorpyrifos on crops. Once published, the regulation would give farmers six months to stop applying the material.

California farmers have already been seeking alternatives to the broad-spectrum pesticide. State sales ended in 2020, with limited applications permitted through the end of that year, under a deal between the state and Dow AgroSciences, the product's maker. A group convened by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Pesticide Regulation is working to develop alternatives.

AFBF President Zippy Duvall expressed concerns about the EPA action and said it "takes away an important tool to manage pests."

"Farmers and ranchers care deeply about the quality of our crops. Nothing is more important than producing safe, nutritious food," Duvall said. "So, we must be guided by the most reliable determinant of safety, which is science."

Chlorpyrifos has been widely used in U.S. agriculture since it was registered for use in the 1960s.