I just wanted to alert everyone that the EPA is being asked to decide whether five widely used neonicotinoid insecticides should continue to be allowed on food crops. This stems from a 2020 petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) for the EPA to revoke all food-residue tolerances for:
- Acetamiprid
- Clothianidin
- Dinotefuran
- Imidacloprid
- Thiamethoxam
The NRDC has since sued EPA, arguing that the agency had taken too long to respond to its petition, which leads us to this proposed settlement. In short, the proposed settlement does not ban neonics and does not immediately change which products farmers can use. Instead, the EPA would agree to make a final decision on the NRDC petition by April 30, 2027. Check out the announcement here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OGC-2026-6172-0001
The 2027 decision is where our concern comes in, as it could potentially involve changes to the allowable food-residue tolerances for these five insecticides. As a reminder, neonicotinoids are one of our best options for managing a variety of insect pests of peaches. As such, the loss of neonicotinoids for fruit use would be a devastating blow to peach production in the Southeast.
So, why am I posting this here? The EPA is currently accepting public comments on the proposed settlement until September 21, 2026. If you would like to express your concern for the potential ban on these neonicotinoids and let the EPA understand how important they are to the southeastern peach industry, you can submit a comment at Regulations.gov or directly here: https://www.regulations.gov/document/EPA-HQ-OGC-2026-6172-0001. Note that comments should reference Docket ID EPA-HQ-OGC-2026-6172. They also have a handy, ‘how to submit an impactful comment’ guide here: https://www.regulations.gov/commenting-guidance?anchor=downloadingdata
Please note that this is only a legal and regulatory step, not a pesticide ban, yet. EPA is agreeing to make a decision by April 30, 2027 on a petition seeking to eliminate food tolerances for five commonly used insecticides. Nothing in this settlement immediately prevents us from using currently registered neonicotinoid products according to their labels. I just want to make sure it stays that way.
Sorry for the potentially negative news, but regardless, I hope everyone is doing well.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
