SAF, along with other agricultural groups, sent a letter this week to leaders of the Agricultural Committees in the House and Senate urging them to approve the reauthorization of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA).
The letter noted that reauthorization of PRIA will ensure that growers and users of pesticides have timely access to products that help them produce the food, fiber, fuel – and flowers – the world depends on.
PRIA provides a source of funding to support key functions of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Pesticide Programs in registering and reviewing new pesticides and new pesticide products.
Prior to PRIA, the review process for new pesticides could take several years or longer and jeopardized innovation.
Authorization for PRIA expired in 2017. The program has continued to operate under short-term extensions since then.
A long-term authorization is needed to assure EPA has the resources to hire and maintain staff to carry out its important mission within the Office of Pesticide Programs.
The letter, signed by more than 100 different agricultural organizations, noted that “Without the certainty that PRIA provides, the EPA faces staffing shortages which hamper the ability to bring innovative pest control solutions to our growers and other users and can hinder EPA’s ability to meet important registration and reregistration deadlines.”
It is unclear if Congress will pass the reauthorization of PRIA before the end of this Congress.
Shawn McBurney is the senior director of government relations of the Society of American Florists
