Chlorpyrifos: A Restricted Material Starting July 1st

Chlorpyrifos will be labeled effective July 1, 2015 as a restricted material in California when it is an ingredient in pesticides for use in the production of an agricultural commodity. Applicators will need to obtain a restricted materials permit from their County Agriculture Commissioner if they wish to purchase, possess or apply affected chlorpyrifos products. Department of Pesticide Regulations is currently developing interim permit condition recommendations, this will be additional mitigation to the instructions users of restricted materials must follow. The interim permit conditions may include buffer zones near sensitive sites, GMP (good management practices) to prevent drift or offsite movement into the air and measures to reduce runoff into surface waters. County Agriculture Commissioners will be notified by the DPR next month with a letter of the recommended interim conditions. DPR published a list of products indicating 31 pesticides that would be affected by the new regulation.