"On Wednesday, May 8, 2019, the State of California announced it would ban the use of chlorpyrifos by canceling registration of the pesticide by the Department of Pesticide Registration. Chlorpyrifos use in agriculture has been under federal and state regulatory review for the last several years. Chlorpyrifos for use in structural pest control and for sale in consumer products ended in 2000 due to a voluntary agreement between the manufacturers and EPA.
"University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) carries out the Land-Grant mission of University of California to seek scientific solutions to address society's needs and problems. As a part of UC ANR, the Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM) provides research-based information to manage pests while protecting human-health and the environment. UC scientists have spent many years researching alternatives to chlorpyrifos and educating state-licensed pest control advisers on effective use of the alternatives. For example, improved integrated pest management of insects in almonds eliminated the need for winter application of chlorpyrifos on the 1,390,000 acres of almonds in California. Overall, this work contributed to the greater than 50% decrease in chlorpyrifos use in all of California agriculture from 2006 to 2016.
"In 2014, UC IPM started a two-year project, funded by California Department of Pesticide Regulation, to identify the pest-crop situations where there were no or few alternatives to chlorpyrifos. That project identified specific needs for additional research on alternatives to manage weevils and aphids in alfalfa, leaf-footed bug and stink bugs in almond, ants in citrus, and aphids and whiteflies in cotton. UC research and extension continues to seek solutions to these difficult pest management problems. Previous research in many other pest-crop situations had already identified and supported implementation of alternatives to chlorpyrifos.
"UC ANR will continue to work closely with the State of California and agriculture to protect the health of Californians and our environment while providing effective pest management solutions to farmers."
For more information, contact:
Jim Farrar
(530) 750-1249, jjfarrar@ucanr.edu
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A critical part of the workshops is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposal to cancel the pesticide chlorpyrifos in agricultural production. EPA is accepting public comment on the proposal until Jan. 5.
Chlorpyrifos is a widely used pesticide and part of integrated pest management in many crops. Under the trade names Lorsban, Lock-on and in generic formulations, chlorpyrifos is used to control ants, stink bugs, aphids, whiteflies and other pests. A 2014 report coordinated by the UC ANR Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program concluded the pesticide is an important tool for California producers of alfalfa, almonds, citrus and cotton.
At the workshops, growers, pest control advisors, UC scientists, state and local regulators and members of the local agricultural community will discuss chlorpyrifos permit conditions and the proposed regulations as well as IPM approaches to managing critical pests.
New decision-making tools for insecticide recommendations and stewardship activities will be shared. Industry members will also have the opportunity to provide input to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and other regulatory officials about the use of chlorpyrifos in their IPM systems.
Meeting dates, times and locations are as follows:
Jan. 7 – Almonds Central San Joaquin Valley
8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center, 9240 S. Riverbend Ave., Parlier
Jan. 8 - Alfalfa and field crops in San Joaquin Valley
8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Cabral Center, 2101 E. Earhart Ave., Stockton
Jan. 12 – Citrus in San Joaquin Valley
8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
UC ANR Cooperative Extension office, 4437 S. Laspina St., Tulare
Jan. 21 – Alfalfa in Imperial Valley
8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Farm Credit Services Southwest, 485 Business Parkway, Imperial
Jan. 26 – Almonds in Southern San Joaquin Valley
8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Kern County Agricultural Pavilion
3300 E. Belle Terrace, Bakersfield
Feb. 5 – Almonds in Northern California
8 a.m. to 12:00 p.m
Chico Masonic Lodge, 1110 W. East Ave., Chico
Pest control advisers will receive continuing education credit. For more information contact Lori Berger, UC IPM chlorpyrifos project coordinator, at lberger@ucanr.edu or (559) 646-6523.
An initiative to manage endemic and invasive pests and diseases is part of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Strategic Vision 2025.
