b'PROTECTING POLLINATORS This series is sponsored by Operation Pollinator,a Syngenta global initiative.LABELS MEAN MORE WITH MP3SManaged Pollinator Protection Plans take labels beyond the law to create a legacy of stewardship.Melissa Shipman melissanshipman@gmail.comYOUVE PROBABLY HEARD before how important product labels are, but its imperative to note that theyre more than a legal requirement. They are an instruction manual for producers and applicators to refer to before every single application. Liza Fleeson Trossbach, program man-ager for the office of pesticide services at Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services explains why the label matters.There are both benefits and risks associated with the use of a pesticide, she says. The label that is developed as part of the federal registration processThe label to the left is mitigates the risk to an acceptable levelfor Syngentas Actara, when the product is used according toand illustrates how to the label. The label is a legal agreementproperly prepare and between the registrant and the end userwatch out for to help mitigate those risks. pollinators in the area. Dave Flakne, senior director of state affairs for Syngenta, says he knows it can be repetitive to hear the label is the law over and over again, but its worth noting why thats the case.is looking for in terms of pest, weed, orThe neonicotinoid insecticides are an We know thats preached at everydisease protection. And, they limit theexample of products that have seen a training course and meeting, but thererisks during applications by detailing whatlabel change mid-cycle.are tens of millions of dollars worth ofprecautions need to be taken. The EPA asked registrants to add research that go into the developmentSome users could be tempted to thinkadditional pollinator protection informa-of these labels to ensure products worktheyve used a product enough to not needtion on the label, he says. accordingly and that environmental andto reread the label, but thats not true. Fleeson says Dicamba has also seen applicator safety are achieved, he says. Some labels actually change fre- several label changes in recent years.Thats significant because producersquently, possibly adding a new use, or aLabel changes directly impact the invest a significant amount of money intonew use restriction, Fleeson says. legal use of the product, so its important a product to do a specific job, and notAll products are required to goto read labels closely every time, she says. reading the label is like throwing some ofthrough a reregistration process every 15 that money away. years, but changes are sometimes madeIssues with UnderstandingIts imperative to read and under- to labels in between those cycles as well.Flakne says even though there is a lot stand the label, Flakne says. ThoseTheres no way to know if a changetechnical information included on the label, labels are the only way to ensure thathas been made to the label unless youits not as difficult to read and understand product will provide what a producerread it, Flakne says. product labels as some might think.32/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2020'