CPDA Warns of Possible Product Shortage
15 October 2013 
The U.S. government has reportedly made progress in reaching a deal to restart government operations, but the damage might already be done. The U.S. government shutdown has postponed the Environmental Protection Agency’s inspection of imported pesticides, the majority of which are technical-grade products used at U.S. formulation facilities. The standstill could affect inventory in the supply chain as formulators deplete existing stocks.
The Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), the U.S. association that represents post-patent formulators and suppliers of adjuvants and inert ingredients, and 16 other groups representing a cross-section of agriculture industries are lobbying legislators and the executive branch to reclassify EPA inspection personnel who facilitate Notices of Arrival (NOA) as essential employees so they can return to work.
CPDA President Dr. Susan Ferenc wrote a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama last week, stating, “Consumers may not feel the impact today, but delays impacting the manufacture of important agriculture and public health products could have serious consequences in the months ahead.”
The U.S. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which regulates the import, formulation, registration and use of pesticides requires that a NOA form be filed before a foreign pesticide product or device can enter the United States.
“American farmers help feed the nation and the world, and if the shutdown continues, they will soon find that their trusted products are not available when they need them the most, leaving their crops vulnerable to destructive weeds and pests,” Ferenc continued in her letter to President Obama. “Similarly, when and adverse public health situation arises, local officials may find that the best products to control the situation are unavailable.”
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