In case you haven’t heard the news, I wanted to give everyone a quick update on the fact that as of November 2, 2023, chlorpyrifos use on food crops is no longer banned. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the EPA’s decision to revoke tolerances of chlorpyrifos on food crops. The official ruling can be found here.
This new decision means that we are free to use chlorpyrifos again. One key problem that still exists is that the many of the main manufacturers stoped making chlorpyrifos products. However, if you are able to find product or have any backstock, you are now legally able to use it on your bearing land. Note, that you still need to follow the label.
Even if it is just a temporary return, having another option for borer and scale management is welcomed, especially as we continue to work on identifying alternative management options.
As additional news comes out, I’ll make sure to update it here.
UPDATE: 12-19-2023
In light of the November 2, 2023, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to vacate the EPA’s prohibition of chlorpyrifos use on food crops, EPA issue a brief update on its intended next steps. After issuance of the mandate from the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the EPA intends to issue a notice correcting the Code of Federal Regulations to reflect the court’s reinstatement of chlorpyrifos tolerances. It is expected that the EPA will propose a new rule to revoke the tolerances associated with all but the 11 uses referenced by the court, which includes peach, apple, cotton, citrus, and strawberry. This means that any products, except those already subject to a cancellations and without existing stocks, should be legal to use for those crops during the 2024 season following instructions on the label.
However, chlorpyrifos is still under registration review, so things can always change. As additional news comes out, I’ll make sure to update it here.
Find more information about the chlorpyrifos decision, please see the EPA website.
