NDSU Extension Urges Public Input For EPA Fungicide Strategy

By Madeleine Smith

On May 1, the Environmental Protection Agency released its draft fungicide strategy for public comment. The strategy document can be found at  https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA-HQ-OPP-2026-2973.

The fungicide strategy outlines how the EPA plans to mitigate potential harmful effects to federally listed endangered and threatened species or their critical habitat from off-target pesticide exposure in accordance with the 1973 Endangered Species Act.

“Providing a wide range of perspectives to the EPA through the public comment process allows for development of a more practical and comprehensive final strategy,” says Madeleine Smith, North Dakota State University Extension pesticide specialist.

Smith says mitigations from the release of the EPA’s final insecticide and herbicide strategies are already making their way onto pesticide labels, the most recent of which included the new labels for Engenia, Tavium and Stryax, all used for weed control in soybeans and cotton.

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