The intent of this network is to inform interested parties of new pesticide uses, impending pesticide use cancellations, tolerance reocations, and other items of agricultural interest. We recommend that you express any concerns or questions you hae to the contact mentioned below or to your NAPIAP State Liaison Representatie. If you wish to contact us at USDA, our phone number is 202-720-3186, our fax number is 202-720-3191, and our email address is ksmith@asrr.arsusda.gov.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20250

April 29, 1998

MEMORANDUM FROM SECRETARY DAN GLICKMAN (Signed)

TO: The Vice President

SUBJECT: Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Implementation

As a follow-up to the memorandum Enironmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Carol Browner and I sent you April 10, 1998, I want to proide you the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) actions and plans to work with EPA and the public on implementation of the FQPA.

I share your commitment to proiding our Nation's farmers with the time, technical assistance, and support they need to transition to new, safer pest management systems. American agriculture can respond to the challenges of the FQPA by deeloping and delivering safer pest management technology to ensure that Americans in the 21st Century will continue to hae the safest food supply in the world.

Realizing the challenges that lie ahead regarding FQPA implementation, the Department has established a new Office of Pest Management Policy (OPMP), to coordinate USDA's response to FQPA issues. This Office will work closely with EPA to ensure that FQPA implementation decisions are based on sound science, transparency, consultation with the public, and a reasonable implementation transition period for agriculture. Funding isincluded in the President's Fiscal Year 1999 Budget to continue OPMP, and an additional $1.5 million is requested to strengthen its actiities.

OPMP is working with other USDA agencies, land grant institutions, farmers, and chemical producers to identify crops most ulnerable to potential use cancellations under FQPA. Profiles will identify major pests, their current controls, and alternatie pest management strategies, forming the basis for crop-specific transition strategies.

For some crop-pest combinations, transition to new pest management tools may be possible in a short period of time. Howeer, in many cases, the transition will take seeral years and require additional research, applicator education and training, and a commitment from EPA to issue timely regulatory decisions on new and alternatie pesticide products. USDA will work closely with EPA to reduce barriers to the deelopment, testing, and registration of new pest management products.

Oer the past 18 months, several USDA programs have been evaluated and adjusted to meet the new requirements of FQPA. In response to your April 8 memorandum, we are again reiewing operating plans and budgets deoted to developing data to support EPA's risk assessment process, expediting new product approals, and expanding integrated pest management strategies. Recent deelopments include:

• New focus for USDA's Pest Management Alternaties Program (PMAP): PMAP carries out research to deelop and implement new technologies when regulatory action limits the aailability of key pest management chemicals. Research priorities supported by PMAP will be primarily focused on searching for near-term solutions. To be more responsie to agriculture's needs, the program will be managed in coordination with EPA's tolerance reiew schedule and research efforts being carried out by farmer groups. A request for proposals for fiscal year 1998 funds has been redrafted to address the most immediate FQPA needs and will be published by the end of June. In order to support crop-specific transition strategies adequately, the President's Fiscal Year 1999 Budget request includes an additional $2.577 million for PMAP to proide a total of $4.2 million.

• Retooled and expanded pesticide use sureys: USDA surveys have been retooled and expanded to ensure more refined pesticide use data will be used in the regulatory decision-making process. USDA is expanding its data collection efforts to include post-harest pesticide use and a renewed effort to collect data on the rate and leel of adoption of IPM practices nationwide.

• Pesticide Data Program (PDP) focus on children's foods: PDP gathers pesticide residue data, and since 1997 there has been a greater focus on foods consumed by children to improe the accuracy and quality of EPA's dietary risk assessments. The President's Fiscal Year 1999 Budget request includes additional funding for the deelopment of a quick response capability to fill data gaps on critical crops. USDA is also considering the expansion of the routine pesticide tolerance enforcement program to include measurement of pesticide residues in meat and eggs.

• Supplemental food consumption surey: USDA is currently conducting a supplemental surey of children's food consumption patterns. Based on EPA's request, the supplemental surey will include nearly 5,000 additional children and add increased statistical confidence to EPA's dietary risk assessments for infants and children that are a new requirement under FQPA.

• New priorities for Interregional Research Project #4 (IR-4) Program: The IR-4 program assists EPA in the registration of chemical and biological pesticides for minor crops. The program's new priorities will focus efforts on new safer alternaties to pesticides that hae been identified by EPA as the highest risk category.

• Fiscal Year 1999 Budget request to expand USDA's IPM Initiatie: The IPM initiatie, launched in 1993 as one facet of a goernment-wide response to concerns about pesticide residues and the safety of the U.S. food supply, needs to be updated and expanded to help meet emerging needs for cost-effectie and safer pest management strategies that are being drien by the 1996 enactment of FQPA. The President's Fiscal Year 1999 Budget request includes approximately $271 million for integrated pest management and related programs; a $34 million increase oer fiscal year 1997 and $5 million oer fiscal year 1998.

In addition to reiewing USDA pest management initiatives with the pending fiscal year 1999 appropriations process, Congress is working towards final approal of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, which will proide an additional $120 million per year through 2003 for the Initiatie for Future Agricultural and Food Systems and, assuming a 50/50 split between research and rural deelopment, $30 million per year for research under the Fund for Rural America. Some funds from either program could be directed to support projects that address FQPA-related pest management problems.

As needs deelop during FQPA implementation, USDA will work closely with farmers, land grant institutions, and EPA to make necessary adjustments in current research and education programs and budget recommendations for fiscal year 2000 to help meet the requirements of FQPA.

I beliee these actions and plans, coupled with the Department's long-standing research program to deelop and deploy integrated and enironmentally sound pest management strategies, will help USDA meet the goals set out in your memorandum. I will keep you informed of the Department's progress on FQPA implementation.

The Reregistration Notification Network is a cooperatie effort of USDA-OPMP, Interregional Project No. 4 (IR-4), U.S. Enironmental Protection Agency (USEPA), and the American Crop Protection Association (ACPA).
Last Modified May 22, 1998