The draft Strategy identifies practical, science-based protections that fungicide users can adopt to safeguard more than 1,000 federally endangered and threatened species, while preserving the flexibility states, growers, and applicators need to keep American agriculture strong. It reflects EPA's commitment to meeting its obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) through a more efficient, transparent, and protective approach to pesticide registration.
Protecting American families is a top priority for EPA. Every approved pesticide must undergo gold-standard scientific safety evaluations and pose no health risks of concern when used as directed. EPA will continue to review the latest available science to ensure its regulatory decisions are rooted in the most robust universe of data possible.
American farmers are the lifeblood of our economy and our nation's food supply. They need a diverse toolbox of innovative agricultural technologies to manage crop disease, prevent resistance, and produce the affordable, nutritious food that feeds our country. The draft Fungicide Strategy is designed to ensure those innovative tools remain available and that they are used in ways that protect the environment and endangered species.
Consistent with the Trump Administration's commitment to radical transparency, EPA is opening this draft Strategy to a 60-day public comment period and will host a public webinar to walk stakeholders through the proposal and take questions. EPA wants to hear from farmers, applicators, scientists, conservation groups, state partners, Tribal partners, and members of the public before any decisions are finalized.
What the Draft Strategy Does
- Uses a three-step framework to (1) identify potential population-level impacts to listed species, (2) identify mitigation measures, and (3) determine where those mitigations should apply.
- Informs EPA's registration and registration review decisions for conventional agricultural fungicides in the lower 48 states, where approximately 41 million acres are treated annually.
- Considers where listed species live, what they need (such as food sources or pollinators), where fungicides may move in the environment, and potential effects on non-target species.
- Guides mitigations that EPA will propose in future regulatory actions, with public input on each action before any decision is finalized. Does not itself impose requirements.
Source : umass.edu