The EPA has denied a request by the Georgia Department of Agriculture to allow use of the pesticide Counter 20G on cotton in Georgia.
Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black wrote to the EPA on April 1 requesting a Section 18 exemption to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to give cotton growers a key tool to control nematodes. In his letter, Black pointed out that since the phase-out of aldicarb began in 2010, farmers have struggled to find an effective alternative pesticide to control nematodes in cotton. A replacement pesticide, Velum Total from Bayer CropScience, is only available in sufficient quantities to treat 25 percent of the acreage referenced in Black's exemption request.
"Cotton farmers across the region face a high pressure dilemma this growing season," Black wrote. "Costs for seed and other inputs will establish a very high mark on the production model over the next two months. Yet, commodity prices, without extraordinary yields, will not likely produce an acceptable if any level of profit. The Section 18 opportunity for Counter 20G in my view clearly provides us the pathway afforded by law to meet our regulatory obligations while helping American farm families when they need it the most."
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