Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76FEBRUARY 2017 SEEDWORLD.COM / 63 NATIONAL EPA TO REMOVE 72 INERT INGREDIENTS APPROVED FOR PESTICIDE PRODUCTS As of Dec. 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is taking action to remove 72 ingredients from its list of inert ingredients approved for use in pesticide products. Manufacturers wishing to use these ingredi- ents will have to provide EPA with studies or information to demonstrate their safety. EPA will then consider whether to allow their use. EPA is taking this action in response to petitions by the Center for Environmental Health, Beyond Pesticides, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others. EPA FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST SYNGENTA The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint alleging that Syngenta Seeds violated numerous federal pesticide regulations meant to protect workers at its crop research farm in Kekaha, Kauai. EPA seeks civil penalties of more than $4.8 million for the viola- tions. On Jan. 20, 2016, 19 workers entered a Syngenta field recently sprayed with a restricted use organophos- phate insecticide. Ten of these workers were taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. The EPA complaint states that Syngenta mis- used the pesticide “Lorsban Advanced,” and it failed to adequately implement the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act’s Worker Protection Standard. USDA TO FUND BEE RESEARCH, SURVEY U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) allocates $57,762,405 from Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill to support 513 projects. These projects aim to prevent the introduction or spread of plant pests and diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture and the environ- ment, as well as ensure the availability of a healthy supply of clean plant stock. One of the projects funded has to do with honeybees — $1,6 million will be allocated to survey honeybee populations, study bee health, conduct canine apiary inspection for disease detection and conduct pollina- tor education and outreach. EPA UPS ITS PESTICIDE APPLICATOR STANDARDS On Dec. 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized standards for applicators who apply restricted-use pesticides that are not available for purchase by the general public, and require special handling. EPA’s stricter standards will require all people who are certified to apply restricted use pesticides to be at least 18 years of age. These certifications must be renewed every five years. EPA is requiring specialized licensing for certain methods such as fumigation and aerial application. For further pro- tection, individuals working under the supervision of certified applicators will now receive training to use pes- ticides safely and to protect their families from “take- home” pesticide exposure. USDA ISSUES IMPORT GUIDANCE In Oct. 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Mexico’s National Service for Animal and Plant Health, Food Safety and Quality agreed to require import certificates for all organic products traded between the U.S. and Mexico. Certified organic handlers shipping organic products to the U.S. from Mexico should provide a National Organic Program (NOP) Import Certificate to the certified handler receiving the products in the U.S. AMS previously noted an effective date of Jan. 16, 2017, but is delaying this requirement until a future date. AMS STREAMLINES IMPORT PROCESS FOR CERTAIN PRODUCE AND SPECIALTY CROPS The Agricultural Marketing Service’s (AMS) participa- tion in the government-wide International Trade Data System is expanding from a three-port pilot program to a nationwide pilot. All ag com- modity importers are now able to submit documentation elec- tronically to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Automated Commercial Environment. The coordinated pilot is expected to oper- ate into the new year while importers gain familiarity with the system and AMS finalizes regulations connected to the new filing procedures. Contact AMS at 202-720-2491. SW REGULATORY ROUNDUP Keeping you informed of legislative and regulatory changes at the state, national and international levels — from lawsuits to approvals to other regulatory issues affecting your business. Since 1965 For a quote or catalog, call 303.431.7333 fax 303.467.7886 sales@applewoodseed.com Individual Species Garden Flowers Pollinator & Conservation Mixtures applewoodseed.com Specialists in Wildflowers