PMFAI: U.S. Court Ruling on Chlorpyrifos Gives ‘Right Direction’ for Global Regulatory Authorities
Farmers and agriculture interest groups in the U.S. are applauding the ruling of the U.S. Court of Appeals’ Eighth Circuit of 2 November 2023, in which the Court vacated the U.S. EPA’s ban on use of popular insecticide chlorpyrifos on Food crops. While giving its decision the Court also observed that EPA disregarded its own scientists’ findings on uses of chlorpyrifos while determining safety and efficacy of the product.
Earlier in 2022, U.S. agriculture groups including filed a lawsuit against EPA’s banning of chlorpyrifos which restricted them to use the product on crops, where the groups also highlighted high benefits and low risk of the tool for agricultural uses and appealed to review and vacate EPA’s ban order of chlorpyrifos.
“The decision of the court is hailed by the farming community all over the world, as chlorpyrifos is a broad spectrum product used in farming and public health, and is one of the cheapest product available to farmers,” said Pradip Dave, President of the Pesticides Manufacturers & Formulators Association of India (PMFAI). “Chlorpyrifos is most effective product against migratory locust attack and is recommended by FAO/WHO.
“Grower associations in the U.S. applauded the Court’s ruling as it offered relief,” Dave continued. “Growers experienced higher costs in protecting their crops from pests. In the absence of chlorpyrifos, growers were compelled to resort to use multiple pesticides without getting desired effectiveness. Growers are eager to restore the use of chlorpyrifos in the 2024 season, as they have suffered losses in 2022 and 2023. The U.S. court’s ruling is timely.”
India is one of the largest manufacturers and users of chlorpyrifos with present production of around 20,000 M.T. “Indian farmers have been using this affordable product on multiple crops since 1977 without any adverse impact reported on human and animal health and environment,” Dave said. “Hazard classification of chlorpyrifos by various regulatory authorities worldwide remains unchanged despite its first registration since 1965.”
Chlorpyrifos is still described as having comparatively low mammalian toxicity, a non-skin irritant, not a skin sensitizer, non-mutagenic, and non-carcinogen.
“The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals Eighth Circuit is important and gives the right direction to regulatory authorities all over the world, including India, as any move to restrict or ban use of chlorpyrifos will harm interests of farmers,” Dave concluded.
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