A recent decision by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals allowing producers to use chloropyrifos is applauded by ag groups, including the North Dakota Grain Growers Association. This ruling will allow producers to use the insecticide as a risk mitigation tool in their operations.

“We see this as a win in the long battle against unnecessary federal regulation,” said Ed Kessel, association president. “As we continue to educate the EPA on the need for pesticides, insecticides and rodenticides, we will continue to urge the agency to engage stakeholders on their uses and how producers responsibly apply the products to their crops.”

Initially, agriculture groups brought a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency in 2022, in order to restore access to the pesticide as a tool to protect crops. Chloropyrifos is used primarily to protect sugarbeets and wheat in North Dakota. The insecticide has been found to be of low risk to humans, according to EPA scientists.

The association hosts EPA officials in North Dakota every summer in an effort to educate them on the everyday uses of these tools. The E-Tour takes them across North Dakota and shows them storage and application as well as encouraging questions with stakeholders.

“The federal rule-making process has gotten out of control,” Kessel said. “It has become one of the most detrimental regulations for producers and we have very little power over their implementation.” The association “will continue to advocate for commonsense labeling of products and will continue to education the EPA on how agriculture actually works.”

Source: North Dakota Grain Growers Association