Chlorpyrifos is an organophosphorus insecticide used on crops including soybeans, fruit and nut trees, broccoli, and cauliflower, but its use has been declining because it inhibits acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the body, causing neurotoxicity.
In February, the EPA rejected all objections to lifting the current MRLS for food poisoning chlorpyrifos, and all products containing chlorpyrifos can no longer be used for food purposes. As of October this year, the EPA has received six voluntary cancellations of 16 chlorpyrifos products containing food use.
In a turning point, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit recently overturned the Environmental Protection Agency's ban on chlorpyrifos, a ruling that agricultural groups applauded as scientifically sound. In that ruling, the court said the EPA ignored scientific evidence from scientists to ensure chlorpyrifos was safe, so it reversed the ban and restored agricultural use of chlorpyrifos.
Illinois soybean farmers, the American Soybean Association, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the Sugar Beet Growers Association, among others, said the ruling sends a message to the EPA that it must base its rules on science. In addition, the groups hope to work with the EPA during the registration review process for chlorpyrifos to ensure that critical uses of the tool are preserved for years to come.
Chlorpyrifos is a product used by farmers to protect crops from pests and other pests. Chlorpyrifos has been widely used for both food and non-food purposes since 1965.
In 2007, anti-pesticide groups petitioned the EPA to ban the use of chlorpyrifos, claiming that even small amounts left in food can damage the brains of babies and fetuses.
In 2002, the EPA was pressured by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on the West Coast to ban chlorpyrifos in 2022 under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
In February 2002, agricultural groups filed a lawsuit against the EPA to continue allowing farmers to use the tool to protect their crops. The groups stressed that according to the EPA's own records, the agency's career scientists have found at least 11 highly effective, low-risk agricultural uses for chlorpyrifos that can remain safe.
During the 2022 and 2023 planting seasons, many producers will suffer from not being able to use chlorpyrifos, and some farmers will lose their only effective tool to protect their crops from some of the most damaging pests. As a result, growers are eager to resume the use of chlorpyrifos for the 2024 planting season.
The United States is expected to restart agricultural use of chlorpyrifos next year
2023 11/07