EPA Announces Five Year Registration for Dicamba in Cotton and Soybeans
November 2, 2020 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved new five-year registrations for dicamba products for over-the-top use in dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler made the announcement during an on-farm event in Brooklet, GA, on Oct. 27. New registrations were granted to XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology (Bayer) and Engenia Herbicide (BASF), while the registration for Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology (Syngenta) was extended. All registrations will expire in 2025.
According to Wheeler, these registrations include new control measure to ensure the products can be used effectively while protecting the environment, including non-target plants, animals and other crops not tolerant to dicamba.”
“With today’s decision, farmers now have the certainty they need to make plans for their 2021 growing season,” said Wheeler. “After reviewing substantial amounts of new information, conducting scientific assessments based on the best available science and carefully considering input from stakeholders, we have reached a resolution that is good for our farmers and our environment.”
As anticipated, the new registrations come with important control measures, including:
- National cut-off dates of June 30 for soybeans and July 30 for cotton for over-the-top applications of dicamba.
- Required use of an approved pH-buffering agent with all dicamba products prior to all applications to help control volatility.
- A new downwind buffer of 240 feet and 310 feet in areas where listed endangered species are located.
- A simplified label and use directions to help growers more easily determine when and how to properly apply dicamba.
As Wheeler explained, the 2020 registration labels also provide new flexibilities for growers and states. Growers may reduce the downwind spray buffer for soybeans through use of certain approved hooded sprayers as an alternative control method. EPA also recognizes and supports FIFRA section 24 which allows states to issue locally appropriate regulations for pesticide use. The agency will also work with states on an individual basis if a state wishes to expand the federal cut-off dates and uses of dicamba to help meet special local needs.
This decision was based on input from state regulators, grower groups, academic researchers, pesticide manufacturers and others, including new information and data based on the best available science. EPA believes these new analyses address the concerns expressed in the June 2020 U.S. Ninth District Court of Appeals ruling that vacated the previous dicamba labels. EPA also noted that with the control measures now required on labels, these actions are not likely to adversely affect endangered or threatened species.
Industry Reactions
Shortly following the EPA announcement, the National Cotton Council expressed appreciation for the agency’s work on issuing a new registration for a critically important weed control tool for U.S. cotton producers.
NCC Chairman Kent Fountain said the NCC will be evaluating the label to ensure the herbicide can be effectively utilized in controlling weeds without undue restrictions. He also noted that research conducted prior to availability of dicamba-tolerant varieties reported a minimum 50% yield loss in fields with resistant pigweed.
“The economic damage that would result from not being able to use dicamba herbicides would be tremendous,” Fountain said. “We greatly appreciate EPA’s timely issuance of a new five-year label for this critical crop protection product for cotton producers.”
Reaction was also swift from the Center for Food Safety, which spearheaded the legal action to vacate the prior dicamba registrations.
“Rather than evaluating the significant costs of dicamba drift as the Ninth Circuit told them the law required, EPA rushed re-approval as a political prop just before the election, sentencing farmers and the environment to another five years of unacceptable damage,” said George Kimbrell, Legal Director of the organization.
“Center for Food Safety will most certainly challenge these unlawful approvals.”
The final registration of the dicamba products can be seen on docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2020-0492 at Regulations.gov.
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