FIFRAblog®

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...

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...

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...

On October 9, 2025, as part of the reauthorization mandates of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of two reports prepared from the result of third-party audits that evaluated pesticide registration processes and functions conducted by EPA. According to EPA, the first report provides the results of the audit that focused on assessing the operational performance of EPA’s Office of Pesticide...

On September 9, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy (MAHA Strategy) issued by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. This Strategy was required to be submitted to the President by August 12, 2025, based on the findings of the Commission in its Making Our Children Healthy Again report (MAHA Assessment), which was released on May 22, 2025, and is discussed in our blog. In its press release...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 21, 2025, the availability of and solicited public comment on materials that are being submitted to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) for peer review on “Determining the Absence of Novel Proteins in the Saliva of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes for Mosquito Control.” 90 Fed. Reg. 40829. The white paper, charge questions, background documents, and related...

On August 14, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of its Pesticide App for Label Mitigations (PALM), which is described as an “easy-to-use, mobile-friendly tool to serve as a one-stop shop that helps farmers and applicators use EPA’s mitigation menu to reduce pesticide exposure to nontarget species from agricultural crop uses.” According to EPA, this new tool will allow farmers to access quickly mitigation information from the final Insecticide...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on July 23, 2025, that it seeks nominations of scientific and technical experts to be considered as ad hoc reviewers in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Scientific Advisory Panel’s (SAP) review of EPA’s white paper on genetically engineered (GE) female mosquitoes for mosquito control. 90 Fed. Reg. 34864. EPA states that it will solicit review and input from the FIFRA SAP on methodologies for determining...

On July 21, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for comment a new proposed streamlined approach to track the adoption of bilingual labeling of pesticide products and provided updated guidance on bilingual labeling requirements. Previously, on December 27, 2024, EPA released for comment a proposed plan to track the adoption of bilingual labeling of pesticide products using the annual maintenance fee filing form.  The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022...

On July 17, 2025, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would establish a private right of action for injuries caused by pesticides (S.2324). The introduction of S.2324, the Pesticide Injury Accountability Act of 2025, if enacted, is intended to allow cases against pesticide manufacturers for alleged harm caused by their pesticide products. In his press release, Booker states: “Rather than providing a liability shield so that foreign corporations are allowed to poison the...

On June 30, 2025, the Pesticide Action and Agroecology Network North America (PANNA) and several other non-governmental organizations (together, Petitioner) filed a Petition for Writ of Mandamus (Mandamus Petition) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to seek an order directing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act on a 2021 Petition to revoke all food tolerances and cancel registrations for organophosphate (OP) pesticides (OP Petition). The Mandamus Petition was...

Mr. Kyle Kunkler has been appointed the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticides at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). Since February 2020, Kunkler has been directing government affairs for the American Soybean Association (ASA) in Washington, D.C., with a focus on the biotech and crop protection portfolio. Kunkler, before joining ASA, spent three years with the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), managing...

On June 26, 2025, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued California Notice 2025-08 announcing that pesticide registrants may add or revise multilingual translation of its labels by non-notification. With this change, DPR now is consistent with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to allow pesticide registrants to add the required Spanish-translated sections on its labels by non-notification as part of the Spanish translation requirements under the...

On June 12, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of updated refined interim core maps that identify areas that EPA states are important to 12 threatened or endangered (listed) species and their critical habitats as designated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). These refined interim maps are based on information developed by FWS and were developed by EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), and...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is pleased to present “Loper Bright: Has the Demise of Chevron Deference Mattered?,” a complimentary webinar reviewing changes to Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) determinations in light of Loper Bright. The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2024 decision in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo offered a new response to a long-standing question under administrative law: if an agency and a reviewing court’s interpretations of a federal statute...

On May 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the release of a new federal report, Making Our Children Healthy Again (MAHA Assessment) issued by the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission. The MAHA Commission was established by Executive Order (EO) 14212 to: (a) study the scope of the childhood chronic disease crisis and any potential contributing causes, including the American diet, absorption of toxic material, medical treatments, lifestyle,...

On April 29, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its final Insecticide Strategy (Strategy), available here. EPA states in the Strategy that it is “intended to create a consistent, reasonable, transparent, and understandable approach to assess potential impacts and identify mitigations to reduce potential population-level impacts to listed species from the use of agricultural insecticides.” Specifically, EPA states that the Strategy identifies...

On April 18, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced updates to its pesticide registration tracking app, MyPest. EPA states MyPest allows registrants of pesticide products to monitor the status of their pesticide registration submissions in real time. The launch of the latest version of MyPest includes updates to an enhanced dashboard page with information about the registrant’s cases and products, the ability to view detailed information of each application, and the...

On April 3, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced changes on how the data matrix form (EPA Form 8570-35) is submitted to EPA, stating this change is an improvement to simplify the process for how companies submit data to EPA as part of a pesticide registration package. EPA states these improvements also will make EPA’s processing of this information more efficient. Companies are required to submit a data matrix form when their pesticide registration packages contain...

The March 1, 2025, deadline for all establishments, foreign and domestic, that produce pesticides, devices, or active ingredients to file their annual production for the 2024 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...

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its new MyPest tracking system to provide transparency and visibility into the real-time status of pesticide submissions. MyPest is a web-based system that tracks a registrant’s pesticide applications and products after submission via EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX). MyPest allows users to view and communicate with the Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) regarding their pesticide products and pending applications....

On December 27, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released for comment a proposed plan to track the adoption of bilingual labeling of pesticide products. 90 Fed. Reg. 99. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5) amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to require Spanish language translation of the health and safety sections of end-use pesticide product labels on a rolling schedule that begins in December 2025 and ends in...

On December 6, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has issued its first voucher under its Vector Expedited Review Voucher (VERV) Program as a result of a recent approval by EPA of a new active ingredient, Wolbachia pipientis wAlbB strain. The VERV Program, which is required by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5) and announced in December 2023, was developed in response to ongoing challenges with mosquito control due to developing...

On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule to revoke all tolerances for chlorpyrifos except for those tolerances associated with the 11 food and feed crops that remain registered. 89 Fed. Reg. 99184. EPA is taking this action in response to a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Comments on the proposed rule are due on or before February 10, 2025. Comments can be submitted to docket ID EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0431 at...

On December 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released, and is seeking public comment on, its proposed guidance for antimicrobial pesticide registrants intended to improve the efficiency of Endangered Species Act (ESA) considerations for new active ingredients, new uses, and registration review actions for antimicrobial pesticides. Comments are due on or before January 1, 2025. EPA states that this guidance, when issued in final, will fulfill the requirements outlined in...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the annual pesticide registration maintenance fee materials for fiscal year (FY) 2025. The deadline for payment of EPA’s annual maintenance fee for pesticide registration is January 15, 2025. 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 20, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its draft guidance for public comment to support registration and evaluation of efficacy claims for pre-saturated antimicrobial towelettes on hard non-porous surfaces such as stainless steel, metal, glass, hard plastic, or sealed wood, commonly seen in the market as “disinfecting wipes,” using a recently approved standard test method. The draft guidance is available at EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0414-0004....

On November 22, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of more than 4,500 Data Evaluation Records (DER) in ChemView, a public portal that houses data and review of toxic chemicals. EPA defines a DER as the documented EPA review of studies submitted during the request to register a pesticide or during the registration review process. The studies for which EPA may prepare a DER include product chemistry, toxicology, ecological effects, human exposure, spray...

On November 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of its interim guidance and additional materials to support the regulatory community in implementing the requirements of the October 4, 2024, final rule for the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) (2024 AEZ Rule). EPA also has created a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document regarding the rulemaking, as well as a chart comparing the differences between the 2015...

On November 6, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of updates to suggestions it provides to registrants when they develop benefits information for new conventional pesticide registrations and new outdoor uses of conventional pesticides. EPA states the updated document may assist registrants to ensure they submit useful and complete benefits-related information and thus save EPA’s review time for new pesticide registrations and outdoor uses. As background,...

The International Bar Association (IBA) Agriculture and Food Section (AFS) is pleased to present a webinar, “Cultivated meat: opportunities and challenges,” on November 14, 2024, spotlighting the considerable opportunities cultivated meat offers. Cultivated meat, also known as lab-grown or cell-based meat, introduces a groundbreaking approach to meat production, poised to tackle the challenges of traditional animal agriculture. During this event, presenters Maarten Van der Heijden, Food and...

On October 3, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of its progress report (Report) in meeting its performance measures and goals for pesticide reregistration during fiscal years (FY) 2020, 2021, and 2022. 89 Fed. Reg. 80558. Section 4(l) of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requires EPA to publish information about EPA’s annual achievements in this area. The Report discusses the...

On October 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the release of interim guidance to expand the availability of virucidal claims for antimicrobial pesticides. This new guidance provides the framework for registrants who seek to make virucidal claims for antimicrobial products that meet the criteria for a bacterial disinfectant and/or sanitizer (e.g., household antimicrobial wipes and sprays) consistent with current test guidelines. EPA states that it intends to grant...

On September 30, 2024, Ya-Wei (Jake) Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), announced that he will be leaving EPA to take a position with the U.S. Department of Interior’s (DOI) Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as the Assistant Director for Ecological Services. This program is responsible for how the agency conserves endangered species and many other wildlife. Li was Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs for...

On August 20, 2024, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced it will launch its electronic pesticide registration system, the California Pesticide Electronic Submission Tracking (CalPEST), on September 24, 2024. The launch of CalPEST will convert its paper-based pesticide registration process to a streamlined electronic system. According to DPR, it is conducting the final stages of testing and has identified areas for improvement in system functionality and security that...

On August 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it made updates to strengthen the Safer Choice and Design for the Environment (DfE) Standard, which identifies the requirements that products and their ingredients must meet to earn EPA’s Safer Choice label or DfE logo. EPA states these updates strengthen the criteria that products must meet to qualify for the voluntary Safer Choice label, supporting the use of safer chemicals in the marketplace. According to EPA, the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 7, 2024, that it will hold a webinar on August 28, 2024, on the use of new approach methodologies (NAM). The webinar, “The CATMoS Model for Acute Oral Toxicity and Evaluation of its Potential Use in a Regulatory Context for Pesticide Hazard and Risk Assessment,” is the fifth in a series held in collaboration with PETA Science Consortium International (PSCI), the Institute for In Vitro Sciences (IIVS), and the California...

On July 29, 2024, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced that it will move forward with an emergency rulemaking package to revise the fees for pesticide registrations and renewals in late August with a proposed effective date of no later than October 1, 2024. DPR states the fee increase is necessary to meet current baseline funding needs and the new positions approved as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024-2025 budget. DPR states that the Governor’s Proposed 2024-2025...

On July 15, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it is updating its process when it assesses the potential for exposure to pesticide drift when it reviews new active ingredient pesticide registrations or makes decisions on new use directions for existing pesticide registrations. EPA states it will review potential exposure to drift earlier in the review process. Historically, EPA has only conducted a chemical-specific assessment of the potential for people to be exposed to...

On July 2, 2024, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced the release of modifications to its proposed pesticide application notification regulation. DPR states this regulation will support the statewide implementation of what it describes to be a “first-of-its-kind” system that would provide information to the public in advance regarding the planned applications of “restricted material pesticides” used in agriculture. DPR initially proposed the regulation on...

On June 25, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the issuance of a final cancellation order for Corteva’s chlorpyrifos product “Dursban 50W in Water Soluble Packets” and three Gharda chlorpyrifos products, and an amendment to the existing stocks provisions for two Liberty and three Winfield chlorpyrifos end-use products. EPA also states that it has updated its frequently asked questions about chlorpyrifos. In a final rule issued in August 2021, EPA revoked all...

On June 10, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Federal Register notice announcing the availability of a draft Pesticide Registration Notice entitled Revised Procedures for Citing Data to Support Pesticide Registrations (EPA Forms No. 8570-34 and 8570-35) (Draft PR Notice). 89 Fed. Reg. 48893. EPA states that this Draft PR Notice will supersede PR Notice 98-5, entitled New Forms for the Certification with Respect to Citation of Data,which was issued on June 12, 1998....

Please note that the date of this webinar has moved forward one day, from Wednesday, June 12, 2024, to Thursday, June 13, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT). Register now to join Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and The Acta Group (Acta®) for “Sponsor’s Role in Regulatory Testing — Complying with GLP Standards,” a complimentary webinar covering the roles and responsibilities of Study Sponsors, as defined by Good Laboratory Practices (GLP) regulations and related...

Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) announced on May 28, 2024, that it filed a request for correction (RFC) under the Information Quality Act (IQA) regarding a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) research memorandum entitled “Verification Analysis for PFAS in Pesticide Products (ACB Project B23-05b)” dated May 18, 2023, and the accompanying press release. As reported in our June 2, 2023, memorandum, EPA completed a verification analysis of a study published in...

On May 24, 2024, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued California Notice 2024-10 announcing that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and DPR have made recent policy changes regarding state-specific language on pesticide labels intended to reduce delays related to state-specific uses. As part of DPR’s evaluation process when reviewing a new registration application, DPR may determine there are not sufficient data to support registration of a specific use in...

On May 3, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it received an application from Bayer CropScience LP for a new product containing the currently registered active ingredient dicamba. The proposed product includes use of dicamba on dicamba-tolerant soybeans and cotton. EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period consistent with Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 3(c)(4) because the proposed product involves a new use pattern for...

By Barbara A. Christianson On May 8, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will hold a virtual public meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) on June 5 and June 6, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (EDT). The meeting is open to the public, but registration to attend is required. Register to attend the meeting by May 29, 2024.To provide comments during the meeting, request special accommodations, or receive more information, please contact...

On April 17, 2024, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced the details of its webinar scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. (PDT). The webinar is to discuss and receive feedback from registrants and other stakeholders on DPR’s intent to increase registration fees to a level that, according to DPR, supports the current and future business needs of the pesticide registration program. DPR states it has determined that current registration fees are not...