Office of Pesticide Information and Coordination

About OPIC

The Office of Pesticide Information and Coordination (OPIC), established in 1962, by the University of California’s Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), coordinates and reviews University of California activities pertaining to pesticide research, experimentation, and use.  The office is responsible for

Annual training for University of California employees who use experimental pesticides

Quality assurance of UC ANR publications recommending pesticide uses

Advising University of California personnel on matters pertaining to safe and legal use of pesticides for research, demonstration and extension purposes

Advising state agencies on matters pertaining to University of California pesticide experimentation and use

Our current activities include

Pest Management Guidelines review

UC ANR pest management publications review

UC Pesticide Use and Experimentation Policy

UC ANR Pesticide Policy Training Information

The UC ANR Pesticide Policy Trainings are virtual trainings intended for campus, field station and county-based University of California personnel that apply experimental pesticides either on UC property or on cooperators' land.

Topics to be covered:

Requirements and responsibilities for conducting pesticide experiments at UC ANR
Pesticide applicator licensing requirements
Permit requirements
Notification requirements
Pesticide use recommendations
Pesticide safety
Employee training

There are no fees for these sessions and three (3) hours of Laws and Regulations Continuing Education units (CEUs) will be offered. Here are the dates and registration links for the 2026 trainings:

Monday, April 6th, 2026, 1 PM to 4 PM: Register for the April Pesticide Policy Training webinar

Tuesday, May 5th, 2026, 9 AM to 12 PM: Register for the May Pesticide Policy Training webinar

Monday, June 8th, 2026, 1 PM to 4 PM: Register for the June Pesticide Policy Training webinar

OPIC Manuscript Review

UC ANR manuscripts that include trade or chemical names of a pesticide(s) must be checked by this office before UC ANR peer review is considered complete and the manuscript can be published by UC ANR.  This process assures that all recommendations are in accordance with existing laws, regulations and the pesticide registration at the time of publication.

Submit ANR publications for review by OPIC

Associate editors:  Following OPIC review of your manuscript, you will receive an email from OPIC with a Statewide Pesticide Coordinator Certification. Please upload the certificate in Manuscript FastTrack as an attachment and sign the MF-21 submittal form.

Respirator Fit Testing

If you are looking for the respirator fit testing program, you can find it on the UC ANR Environmental Health & Safety's Respiratory Protection Program page.