The EPA has scheduled an April 19-21 meeting of the Science Advisory Panel to review the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos.  Forty-two ag groups, including the National Corn Growers Association, have responded to this action by sending a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.  The organizations say the meeting was “hastily called” and is an attempt to “fundamentally alter [the EPA’s] process for evaluating potential risk and regulation of pesticides.”

The letter argues that the EPA isn’t basing its decision on science.  They also object to the change in the review processes, a process which has been in place for many years.

The USDA has also expressed concerns about this EPA action and the department’s divergence from decades of science-based processes.

“Effective pest management requires access to a variety of treatments, including chlorpyrifos,” said NCGA President Chip Bowling, a farmer from Maryland. “If we become too reliant on a single tool, it can start to lose its effectiveness, and that’s how resistance develops. Farmers need access to many crop protection tools to ensure all tools can remain effective.”

Read the full letter here.