Endangered Species Act: what changes will we see on labels to protect the species and their habitat

This presentation will describe the rapid and unique changes taking place on pesticide registrations due to the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service have begun releasing pesticide labels designed to protect listed species and their critical habitat. In the last three months we have seen ESA mitigations on a fungicide (florylpicoxamid) label, two herbicide labels, and an insecticide label. The labels will challenge users to consider Pesticide Usage Limitation Areas (PULAs), how to fulfill runoff/erosion and spray drift mitigations based on pesticide application and conservation practices in each individual field, and in some cases track the total pounds of a specific pesticide used each year in individual fields.  Applicators, extension, growers, pesticide safety educators, and state regulators will all need to work together to develop effective education programs designed for each state’s unique needs.