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CPDA’s Efforts to Reduce PRIA and Non-PRIA Backlog
There has been a lot of activity in recent days about CPDA’s work to reduce the backlog of PRIA and non-PRIA regulatory submissions. Because this is such an important issue to CPDA members, we have separated it out of our regular newsletter to highlight the latest.
Since the passage of PRIA V in late 2022 CPDA, in conjunction with the PRIA Coalition, has put energy and focus on securing adequate funding for EPA’s Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), so they can process both PRIA and non-PRIA submissions in a timely and predictable manner. Those efforts have been stymied by the ongoing Congressional and political budget battles.
Running parallel to our budget outreach, CPDA has had regular and productive meetings with Registration Division staff to look for process improvements that registrants can implement, along with ideas which RD can use to expedite the approval of submissions without sacrificing any regulatory integrity.
While those efforts have produced measurable progress, the simple fact remains that OPP has been tasked with processing a record number of submissions with fewer resources.
On March 18 – National Agriculture Day – a new opportunity was presented to us by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin who said this in a press release:
“EPA is working to improve the speed and efficiency of our review of new pesticides while protecting human health and the environment, to help our farmers grow more food and protect crops from pest damage, diseases, and weeds.”
With that great introduction and opportunity, the PRIA Coalition sent a letter to Administrator Zeldin on March 31, seeking his support for fully funding OPP.
In part, the PRIA Coalition letter states:
“We support and applaud the work that you and the Office of Pesticide Programs are undertaking to make the pesticide permitting process more efficient, but the goal of meeting the law’s prescribed timeframes for registration and registration review cannot be fully realized unless OPP is provided with sufficient staff and the additional resources required under the law.”
“Our goal is to strengthen the business-critical pesticide licensing activities performed by OPP, improve regulatory outcomes, and ensure that OPP has the capacity to fulfill its mission of registering pesticides according to predictable timelines while safeguarding human health and the environment.”
The full letter can be found here
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