The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has activated its Emerging Viral Pathogen (EVP) Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides (Guidance) in response to hantavirus, which had been considered to be a rare disease caused by an infection from some hantaviruses (including Andes Virus). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hantaviruses are a family of viruses that cause serious illness and sometimes death in people worldwide. The viruses are spread by infected...
Pesticide Law and Policy Blog® covering developments in conventional, biocidal, antimicrobial, and other pesticide product issues
Public attention surrounding hantavirus outbreaks often focuses, understandably, on the immediate health risks associated with rodent exposure. Recent reports tied to a cruise vessel outbreak of hantavirus have once again highlighted the complex relationship between human health, confined environments, sanitation practices, and pest management. Yet beyond the headlines, such outbreaks also serve as a reminder of the often-overlooked role that pesticide regulation, and more specifically, the...
On May 1, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it released the draft Fungicide Strategy (Strategy) as part of EPA’s obligations under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). According to EPA, the draft Strategy identifies “practical, science-based” protections to safeguard more than 1,000 federally endangered and threatened species, while preserving flexibility for states, growers, and applicators...
A February 18, 2026, Executive Order (EO) from President Trump, entitled “Promoting the National Defense by Ensuring an Adequate Supply of Elemental Phosphorus and Glyphosate-Based Herbicides,” concerns phosphorus’ use as a critical mineral in fertilizers for crop production (and the manufacture of explosives, among other things), and the role phosphorus plays in the production of the herbicide glyphosate, also used in crop production. Glyphosate is indeed important due to the way the...
January 22, 2026
B&C’s 2026 Forecast for U.S. Federal and International Chemical Regulatory Policy Shares Predictions for FIFRA in the New Year
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C.’s (B&C®) recently published Forecast 2026 includes a deep dive into what stakeholders can expect this year regarding the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), excerpts of which are shared here. Policy shifts and uncertainties are expected under FIFRA and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the agricultural and biocidal area. ESA has been, and will continue to be, the most important issue affecting pesticide use and regulation in the...
The March 1, 2026, deadline for all establishments, foreign and domestic, that produce pesticides, devices, or active ingredients to file their annual production for the 2025 reporting year is fast approaching. Pursuant to Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 7(c)(1) (7 U.S.C. § 136e(c)(1)), “Any producer operating an establishment registered under [Section 7] shall inform the Administrator within 30 days after it is registered of the types and amounts of...
January 8, 2026
EPA Announces Availability of Draft Pesticide Registration Notice 2026-NEW: Notifications, Non-Notifications, and Minor Formulation Amendments
On January 5, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of a draft Pesticide Registration (PR) Notice entitled “Pesticide Registration Notice 2026-NEW: Notifications, Non-Notifications, and Minor Formulation Amendments.” 91 Fed. Reg. 271. EPA stated that it is issuing this draft PR Notice to align with changes to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), including through the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA), and to...
December 18, 2025
EPA Announces 2026 Annual Pesticide Maintenance Fee Forms Available to Download from EPA Website — Deadline for Paying Is January 15, 2026
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the annual pesticide registration maintenance fee materials for fiscal year (FY) 2026. The deadline for payment of EPA’s annual maintenance fee for pesticide registration is January 15, 2026. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 4(i)(1)(A) requires everyone who holds an active or suspended pesticide registration granted under FIFRA Sections 3 and 24(c) (special local needs) to pay an annual maintenance...
On November 13, 2025, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) held a webinar to discuss potential changes to its Enforcement Response Regulations set forth at 3 C.C.R. Sections 6128 and 6130. DPR also released its Discussion Document explaining the various regulatory “concepts” it is considering and posing questions for public input related to those concepts. The proposed focus areas are designed to address areas of improvement identified in a U.S. Environmental...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has posted a web page entitled “Pesticides Containing a Single Fluorinated Carbon.” The web page includes a list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) regarding pesticidal substances containing a single fluorinated carbon and how EPA evaluates them. EPA intends the FAQs to inform the public better about EPA’s gold-standard science pesticide registration process. EPA notes that the web page “does not, and is not intended to, interpret or amend...