On July 1, 2026, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced it had reached a settlement with Keystone Pest Solutions to resolve allegations related to the sales of certain pesticide products. The penalty of nearly $200,000 relates specifically to sales of the following restricted materials: 2,4-dicholophneoxyacic acid (2,4-D), diuron, carbaryl, dimethylamine salt of dicamba, dimethylamine salt of 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, and Simazine. The specific allegations...
Pesticide Law and Policy Blog® covering developments in conventional, biocidal, antimicrobial, and other pesticide product issues
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) deadline for Spanish language bilingual labeling compliance reporting under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (as amended by the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5)) via MyPeST is July 31, 2026. This reporting deadline is limited to restricted use pesticides (RUP) and agricultural products (non-RUPs) in Acute Toxicity Category I. EPA’s MyPeST platform is a web-based system designed to replace...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) has provided new resources to assist users with their MyPeST applications. EPA’s MyPeST platform is a web-based system designed to replace the Pesticide Submission Portal, offering registrants a transparent dashboard for tracking application statuses and managing bilingual pesticide labeling compliance. The MyPeST User Guide (Version 3.0.1, dated July 8, 2026) is available now. EPA states that the User Guide...
On June 12, 2026, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) announced proposed revisions to its enforcement response regulations. The initiative proposes to increase fines, revise the criteria for referring violations to enforcement, re-define violation types, and make other clarifications or amendments to enforcement procedure. The last major substantive update to the regulations took place in 2006. Purpose and Substance of Proposal DPR states that the proposed action...
The U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most significant pesticide law decisions in years on June 25, 2026, holding in Monsanto Co. v. Durnell that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) expressly preempts state-law failure-to-warn claims that would require pesticide labels to include warnings beyond those required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Court's 7-2 decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for pesticide manufacturers,...
In a significant move toward modernizing chemical safety assessments, on June 2, 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two major actions aimed at replacing traditional, animal-based testing with advanced scientific alternatives, typically known as New Approach Methods (NAM), for chemical assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA is also introducing a streamlined process for researchers,...
On June 5, 2026, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued California Notice 2026-05 announcing the availability of the semiannual report summarizing the reevaluation status of pesticide products during the period of July 1, 2025, through December 31, 2025. All pesticides sold or distributed in the United States must be registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before they can be used. DPR evaluates all pesticides before they can be sold or used in...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) has initiated the rollout of its new pesticide application submission service within its MyPeST application. EPA plans to replace the Pesticide Submission Portal (PSP) within its Central Data Exchange (CDX) for pesticide submissions with the expanded MyPeST platform for all customer interactions. The rollout will occur in three Phases -- with Phase I going into effect on July 3, 2026. All data submitters,...
The Association of American Pesticide Control Officials (AAPCO) FIFRA 25(b) Workgroup has released updated guidance intended to aid registrants in developing product efficacy data to support claims on products that qualify for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 25(b) minimum risk exemption when seeking state registration. Under FIFRA Section 25(b), as detailed in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 C.F.R. Section 152.25(f)), the U.S. Environmental...
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...
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...
October 21, 2025
EPA Releases Reports as Part of Agency Efforts to Optimize Pesticide Registration Processes
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...
August 25, 2025
EPA Releases White Paper on Determining the Absence of Novel Proteins in the Saliva of GE Mosquitoes for Mosquito Control
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...
July 26, 2025
EPA Seeks Nominations of Peer Reviewers to Evaluate Design Considerations for Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes
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...
July 23, 2025
EPA Seeks Comment on New Plan to Track the Adoption of Bilingual End-Use Pesticide Labels
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...
July 23, 2025
Legislation Introduced to Amend FIFRA to Establish a Private Right of Action for Injuries Caused by Pesticides
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...
July 15, 2025
PANNA Files Writ of Mandamus against EPA for Failing to Respond to Petition to Cancel Organophosphate Pesticides
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...
June 30, 2025
DPR Issues California Notice 2025-08 Adding and Revising Multilingual Translation on Pesticide Labeling
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...
June 24, 2025
EPA Announces Availability of Updated Interim Maps Developed under Its Endangered Species Protection Program
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...
June 16, 2025
Loper Bright: Has the Demise of Chevron Deference Mattered?, July 15, 2025, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (EDT), via webinar
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...
December 13, 2024
EPA Announces the Issuance of First Voucher to Incentivize the Development of Novel Mosquito Control Products
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...
December 11, 2024
EPA Announces Proposed Rule to Revoke Most Food Uses of the Insecticide Chlorpyrifos
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...
December 6, 2024
EPA Releases Proposed Guidance for Antimicrobial Pesticides that Require Endangered Species Act Reviews
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...
December 4, 2024
EPA Announces 2025 Annual Pesticide Maintenance Fee Forms Available to Download from EPA Website — Deadline for Paying Is January 15, 2025
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...
December 4, 2024
EPA Announces Release of Draft Guidance to Support Registration of Pre-saturated Disinfecting Wipes
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....
November 26, 2024
EPA Announces the Availability of Thousands of Records on EPA’s Review of Studies on Pesticides
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...
November 22, 2024
EPA Announces Interim Guidance on the 2024 Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) Rule under the Agriculture Worker Protection Standard
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,...
November 7, 2024
WEBINAR — Cultivated meat: opportunities and challenges, November 14, 2024, 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (EST)
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...
October 15, 2024
EPA Issues Annual Progress Report on Pesticide Reregistration Performance Measures and Goals
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...
October 15, 2024
EPA Announces Release of Interim Guidance for the Evaluation of Products for Claims against Viruses
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...
October 3, 2024
Ya-Wei (Jake) Li, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticide Programs, to Leave EPA and Take Position with FWS
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...