Pesticides undergo a rigorous evaluation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It takes an average of more than 11 years to go from laboratory concept through research and regulatory review before they can be applied to farms.
However, some states, such as California, are trying to circumvent these career scientists by adopting pesticide labeling regulations that conflict with the EPA’s scientific conclusions.
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The result would be disastrous for our farms, our food, our environment and our health. Politics would trump science in determining which pesticides could be used in which states. Farmers living in certain states might be deprived of the tools they need to control weeds, insects and fungal diseases that threaten the health and safety of their crops. And farmers or other pesticide applicators who work across state lines would have to decipher and comply with a myriad of state and local regulatory standards. A patchwork of regulations would erode the public trust in our regulatory process and make it far more challenging for all levels of government to monitor and enforce our pesticide laws.
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Research has shown that increased tillage resulting from reduced access to one of the most commonly used pesticides would release 33.72 million additional tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — equivalent to the annual carbon output of more than 6.8 million cars.
As more states consider following California’s lead and replacing sound regulatory science with politics, this dystopian future comes closer and closer.
