Thought some of you might be interested in reading out what's up with
CIAS's/Wisconsin's Pesticide Use Risk Reduction project; this is a
UW-Madison College of Ag press service release.
peace
misha
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Agricultural and Consumer Press Service
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences
440 Henry Mall
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison WI 53706
(608) 262-1461
For Immediate Release
For More Information:
Michelle Miller (608) 262-7135
mmmille6@facstaff.wisc.edu
ANOTHER Y2K ISSUE FOR FARMERS: EPA TO BEGIN
IMPLEMENTING THE FOOD QUALITY PROTECTION ACT
The millennium is coming, and with it a new era in how the United
States oversees pesticides and other hazardous chemicals. Next year
will be the first time farmers are affected by the Food Quality
Protection Act (FQPA), which Congress passed unanimously in 1996.
Although the act will affect many chemicals, from the pesticides in
flea collars to those used in industry, farmers will be among the
first groups to notice major changes. Wisconsin grain, vegetable
and fruit growers may not be able to apply pesticides in 2000 that
they have used in the past, according to Michelle Miller, who
coordinates the University of Wisconsin-Madison Pesticide Use and
Risk Reduction Project.
Located in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, the project
supports research and outreach programs on alternatives to pesticides
used on Wisconsin crops. On March 1, the project is awarding almost
$160,000 for 16 research and outreach projects. [ Editors, see
accompanying release.]
"The Pesticide Use and Risk Reduction Project helps us expand College
efforts to develop profitable farming systems that incorporate
options to high-risk chemical pest management," according to
Margaret Dentine, CALS associate dean for research. "It is part of
our long-term commitment to developing ways of growing crops in
Wisconsin with fewer pesticides. Our efforts range from improving
crop varieties so they can resist diseases without pesticides, to
developing cropping systems and computer programs that help farmers
control pests while reducing chemical inputs."
The Pesticide Use and Risk Rejection Project is funded by pesticide
overcharge funds administered by the Wisconsin Department of Justice
and with matching funds from collaborating farm organizations and
the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, which is
home for the project.
Wisconsin farm groups collaborating with the project include: Michael
Fields Agricultural Institute, Wisconsin Apple Growers Association,
Wisconsin Berry Growers Association, Wisconsin Corn Growers
Association, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin Farmers
Union, Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives, Wisconsin Fresh Market
Vegetable Growers Association, Wisconsin Ginseng Growers Association,
Wisconsin National Farmers Organization, Wisconsin Potato and
Vegetable Growers Association, Wisconsin Rural Development Center,
Wisconsin Soybean Association, and Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers
Association.
These farm groups, along with farmers from those organizations,
provide substantial advice and input for the Pesticide Use and Risk
Reduction Project.
"The project is an excellent example of cooperation between farm
groups and the University," says Rick Klemme, director of the Center
for Integrated Agricultural Systems. "We will be alerting producers
to pesticides that carry a high level of risk according to the FQPA,
and trying to help them find profitable ways to adjust their
practices to reduce that risk."
The FQPA requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review
9,700 tolerance limits it has set for individual pesticides and their
uses. Miller says the Act will be implemented in stages, with EPA
examining the most risky pesticides first. EPA must fully implement
the law by August 2006.
According to Miller, the new tolerance limits may be more restrictive
than in the past for several reasons.
o The FQPA requires the EPA to set tolerance limits that protect
people from adverse chronic health problems caused by pesticides,
such as damage to the human immune and hormone systems. In the past,
EPA only set tolerance limits to protect the public against cancer.
o The Act requires the EPA to consider all exposure to a pesticide
when setting tolerances in food. The agency will now consider
exposure from all foods with exposure through water, public
buildings, homes, gardens, and parks when determining tolerance
limits.
o The EPA will now consider pesticides that share a common mode of
toxicity as the same compound for purposes of assessing the maximum
exposure. Therefore, the EPA will set limits for all organophosphate
pesticides, for example, as if they were a single product.
o Because the immune and hormonal systems of children are especially
sensitive to chemical exposure, EPA is setting special provisions to
protect infants and children from compounds that disrupt hormones or
otherwise interfere with human development.
Approximately half the herbicides, insecticides and fungicides used
in Wisconsin fall into the EPA's high-risk category. As such, they
will be among the first to be reviewed, Miller says. Topping that
list are organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, most of which are
insecticides.
The EPA is in the process of determining preliminary risk assessments
for 27 of 40 organophosphate compounds, Miller says. Thirteen are
used on Wisconsin crops. They are: azinphos-methyl (Guthion,
Sniper), bensulide (such as Prefar), dimethoate (such as Cygon),
chlorethoxyfos (Fortress), ethoprop (Mocap), ethyl parathion
(Parathion), naled (Dibrom), phorate (Thimet), phosmet (Imidan),
terbuphos (Counter), methyl parathion (Penncap M, Declare), acephate
(Payload, Orthene) and methamidophos (Monitor).
The preliminary risk assessments are available for review on-line
through EPA's FQPA web site at
http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/fqpa/
or by calling the Office of Pesticide Programs Pesticide Docket at
(703) 305-5805.
### Y2KEPAFQPA 3/99
Writer: George Gallepp, (608) 262-3636
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Michele Gale-Sinex, communications manager
Center for Integrated Ag Systems
UW-Madison College of Ag and Life Sciences
Voice: (608) 262-8018 FAX: (608) 265-3020
http://www.wisc.edu/cias/
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Pressure? Pressure was when I was a shoeshine boy
trying to make it to America. --Sammy Sosa
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