Members of the NPC Environmental Committee along with members of the organization’s Grower Pesticide Advisory Panel met with staff of the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Program (OPP) earlier this week.
Despite being unable to meet in-person with the staff responsible for pesticide registration reviews over the past 18-months, the meeting provided an opportunity to hear about EPA-OPP’s efforts to strengthen the science and reduce risks through mitigation efforts. Additionally, it allowed the industry to provide feedback to the staff on the importance of these tools to safe and economical potato production.
Bob Mattive, NPC’s VP of Environmental Affairs stated, “NPC recognizes the importance of having a strong partnership with the EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs and sharing with them information on the importance of key pesticides for potato production, and that the use of products varies by region due to pest impacts. We appreciate their staff taking time to meet with us to discuss some of the key products currently under review.”
NPC looks forward to continuing the relationship with OPP in helping them to understand the use patterns of these products. Plans for 2022 include an in-person meeting in March during the 2022 NPC Washington Summit, a one-day field trip outside of D.C. to see the seed treatment process of potato seeds, and a tour in the summer of 2022 in the San Luis Valley of Colorado.