On May 8, 2019, the California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) announced that the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) would begin acting to ban the use of chlorpyrifos in California by initiating the cancellation of the pesticide.
During the cancellation process, DPR’s recommendations to county agricultural commissioners for tighter permit restrictions on the use of chlorpyrifos will remain in place. These include a ban on aerial spraying, quarter-mile buffer zones and limiting use to crop-pest combinations that lack alternatives. DPR will support aggressive enforcement of these restrictions.
CalEPA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) also announced that the Governor will propose $5.7 million in new funding in the May Revision budget proposal to support the transition to safer, more sustainable alternatives, and plans to convene a working group to identify, evaluate and recommend alternative pest management solutions. On August 14, 2019, CDFA and DPR announced its Alternatives to Chlorpyrifos Work Group. In addition to the workgroup, CDFA and DPR also announced that it set up a portal for the public to provide input to the workgroup.
For more information on the Alternatives to Chlorpyrifos Work Group, click here.
