Insects, weeds and fungal diseases can be incredibly damaging to crops. Farmers use pesticides so they can grow food with minimal damage from these pests. Without pesticides, farmers would not be able to grow safe and nutritious food, or feed as many people. Agricultural productivity continues to increase thanks in part to pesticides. In recent decades, the use of pesticides has also resulted in more farmers adopting more sustainable and environmentally sound agricultural practices.
Crop protection products help bring healthy food to our table.
Crop protection products, such as herbicides, fungicides and insecticides, help farmers grow food at a low cost. In fact, a 2011 report commissioned by CropLife America found that consumers saw a 40% decrease on their grocery bill thanks in part to crop protection technology.
The American Cancer Society states that “vegetables, fruits, and whole grains should form the central part of a person's diet, regardless of whether they are grown conventionally or organically.”
A study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology confirms the importance of a healthy diet for preventing diseases, and estimates that 20,000 cases of cancer could be prevented each year with increased fruit and vegetable consumption.
All pesticides are rigorously tested to ensure safety to consumers, including especially vulnerable populations such as children.
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is administered by EPA and requires that EPA conduct a complete and thorough risk evaluation to ascertain that a pesticide will not cause unreasonable adverse effects on our health or the environment. As companies register new products, they must submit many years’ worth of scientific test data for the Agency to review. The company must also request registration in each state where the product will be sold. It is illegal to misuse crop protection products by using them in a manner that is inconsistent with product labeling and registered use.
In 1996, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) set even tougher standards to protect infants and children from potential pesticide risks. In EPA’s pesticide tolerance-setting evaluation, the Agency includes an additional safety factor to account for developmental risks when considering a pesticide’s effect on infants and children, and any special sensitivity and exposure to pesticide chemicals that infants and children may have.
More information on pesticides is available at the EPA website (EPA Office of Pesticide Programs), which describes the extensive scientific evaluations they conduct on all pesticides, including work of their independent scientific advisory panels.
The crop protection industry, pesticide applicators and the EPA work closely to ensure that any potential drift of a pesticide is minimized and nearby environments are safe from harm.
All pesticides are registered for use with consideration of possibility for drift, and the label will dictate where or when a pesticide cannot be used.
A combination of label use instructions, responsible practices, technology and regulatory standards minimize drift as much as possible. Products are designed with consideration of minimizing drift potential through advanced chemical formulation. Crop protection products are applied with great precision and care by applicators using technologies that produce greater efficiency in application. Examples include GPS technology that eliminates over-applying and automatically shuts off sprayers near sensitive areas, or the use of spray nozzles that optimize the droplets generated to get into the crop without moving off-site. EPA can also establish buffer zones around treated areas to reduce any potential for exposure that can occur as a result of pesticide drift.
Crop protection products are an important part in a suite of modern farming technologies.
The development of new crop protection chemistries and refinement of existing chemistries is a key step in preventing growers’ dependence on one mode of application. The broad suite of technologies available to growers today allows them to produce the world’s food supply safely and apply pesticides with ever-increasing precision.