The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco has ruled against EPA’s request for an extension on its proposed ban of chlorpyrifos also known as Lorsban. Without the extension the agency will ban the herbicide on March 31, 2017. South Dakota Corn Grower’s President Keith Alverson says this pesticide is just one of the tools important for farmers in controlling corn rootworm, spider mites, and soybean aphids.
He says NCGA and other ag groups are letting EPA know that sound science needs to be followed before any final action is taken on the pesticide.
The USDA estimates corn rootworm leads to more than $1 billion in lost revenue each year. That includes $800 million in yield loss and $200 million in treatment costs. Alverson says that’s why Lorsban is such an important tool for growers.
Several agricultural groups including NCGA have expressed concerns to the EPA about their proposed ban. Their letter said the agency is relying on a single epidemiological study for which the agency doesn’t have any underlying data for making such a decision to ban the pesticide.
