I
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Prevention, Pesticides,
and Toxic Substances
(7501W)
EPA730-F-95-002
September 1995
&EPA Partners for Pesticide
097714
Environmental Stewardship
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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tulate the companies and
grower groups that are joining us
for their forward thinking approach
to environmentally sound pesticide
use practices and look forward to
seeing others follow their lead."
—Carol M. Browner,
EPA Administrator
December 12, 1994
Guiding Principles
Each Partner makes a commitment to stewardship as an
integral part of pest management practices. All Partners
are to be guided by the following principles:
I The partnership is completely voluntary.
• Partners agree to develop environmental
stewardship strategies and implement specific
pest management practices designed for pesticide
use/risk reduction.
I The Federal government recognizes the need to
protect public health and food in the United States
with efficient, cost-effective pest control. Through
research, education, and other means, the Federal
government will seek to promote and fund the
adoption of alternative techniques and practices
that enhance pest management and reduce
pesticide use and risks.
• The Federal government will integrate the
environmental stewardship strategies developed
by member organizations into its policies and
programs for agriculture and the environment.
The Federal government will lead by example with
its own use practices.
Partnership in Progress
Current members of the partnership include growers,
utilities, and associations that engage in a wide range of
activities to reduce pesticide use and risk:
Growers and their associations are—
I Supporting laboratory research on integrated pest
management (IPM) techniques.
• Conducting field and commercial-scale
demonstrations to test IPM techniques.
t Developing predictive models and management
information systems to ensure that pesticide
applications are timely and precise.
t Cooperating with equipment manufacturers to
achieve effective pest control while reducing
application rates, worker exposure, and air and
ground-water pollution.
t Educating workers and association members to
increase awareness and use of alternate pest control
practices.
I Making awards and taking other steps to recognize
growers that achieve high quality results while
reducing pesticide use and exercising
environmental stewardship.
Utilities and their associations are—
I Soliciting input from different regions of
the country as contributions to a national
environmental stewardship plan for utility
rights-of-way.
• Supporting research on IPM technologies and
application methods that manage vegetation
efficiently while lowering risks to human beings
and the environment.
I Training workers in pesticide safety to lower risks
to both the workers and the environment.
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'Voluntarypollution prevention has been a cornerstone
of our efforts to protect human health and the
environment, and this new pesticide partnership
is an important step toward that goal!'
Carol M. Browner
EPA Administrator
December 12, 1994
Environmental
Stewardship
In the 1990s, people have come to realize
that exercising environmental stewardship—
by taking responsibility for safeguarding
human and environmental resources—is
essential to sustain or improve the quality of
life for ourselves and for future generations.
All of us have a stake in developing the
knowledge, technology, and commitment
needed to carry out environmental programs
that are responsible, innovative, flexible,
and effective.
Most of us recognize that we benefit
from pesticides, but we also know
that some pesticides present risks. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) in concert with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) maintains a
strong program to regulate the production and
use of pesticides. As stakeholders, however,
we must all become partners in reducing the
risks from pesticides to a minimum.
An Invitation
Your organization is invited to join a voluntary public/private
partnership dedicated to protecting human health and
preserving the environment by reducing both the use of
pesticides and the risks associated with pesticide use.
The partnership is a key element in the Pesticide
Environmental Stewardship Program, which is sponsored
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This brochure describes the partnership, outlines the
ways your organization can participate—either as a
Partner or as a Supporter—and tells you how to get
more information about the program.
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Goals
The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program is a
broad effort by EPA, USDA, and FDA to reduce pesticide
use and risk in both agricultural and nonagricultural
settings. In September 1993, the three agencies
announced a Federal commitment to two major goals:
> Developing specific use/risk reduction strategies
that include reliance on biological pesticides and
other approaches to pest control that are thought
to be safer than traditional chemical methods.
(See the section on Innovative Approaches to
Pest Control.)
I By the year 2000, having 75 percent of U.S.
agricultural acreage adopt integrated pest
management programs. (See Innovative
Approaches to Pest Control.)
A key part of the Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program is the public/private partnership. When
EPA, USDA, and FDA announced the partnership in
December 1994, more than 20 private organizations
signed on as charter members.
Eligibility
All organizations with a commitment to pesticide
use/risk reduction are eligible to join the Pesticide
Environmental Stewardship Program, either as Partners
or as Supporters.
Partners are organizations that use pesticides or represent
pesticide users. Partners agree to develop and implement
formal strategies to reduce the use and risk of pesticides.
hi particular, Partners agree that their pesticide use will be
tailored to specific sites, crops, and regions of the country.
Partners further commit themselves to define and
implement their strategies in a timely fashion and to report
regularly on progress. Associations of pesticide users
agree that members will use the safest, most effective pest
management practices available.
Supporters are organizations that do not use
pesticides, but do have significant influence over pest
management practices. Food processors, for example,
may influence the use of pesticides on produce they buy,
even though they do not apply pesticides to the produce
themselves. Supporters may include public interest
groups whose constituencies have a strong interest in
pesticide use/risk reduction. Unlike Partners, Supporters
do not need to develop formal pest management
strategies. Instead, they agree to promote programs that
facilitate environmental stewardship.
Innovative
Approaches to Pest Control
Biological pesticides target specific pests, so
these methods are generally considered to
pose little or no risk to human beings, other
species, or the environment. Biological
pesticides include, for example—
mm
Insect growth regulators, which halt or interfere with
the development of an insect before it matures.
Pheromones, which disrupt normal
mating behavior by stimulating
breeding pests and luring them
into traps.
Integrated pest management (IPM)
programs use a range of methods and
disciplines to assure stable and economical crop
production while minimizing risks to humans,
animals, plants, and the environment. IPM weighs
costs, benefits, and impacts on health and the
environment and thus identifies the most suitable
ways to control pests. Options include prevention,
monitoring, mechanical trapping devices, natural
predators, biological pesticides, and, if appropriate,
chemical pesticides.
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Place
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SEPA
Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program
Biopesficides and Pollution Prevention Division (7501 W)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
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Name
Please send me information about Partners
for Pesticide Environmental Stewardship.
Title
Official Company Name
Address
City
State
Zip
I'm interested in joining the Partners Program as a: G Partner d Supporter
Type of organization (check one):
G Grower
G Utility
O Environmental Association
G Grower Association
G Utility Association
G Government
Other
How did you hear about the Partnership?
For immediate processing, fax this completed card to the
Partners Program Director at: (703) 308-7026
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Use in the United States
Total pesticide use in the United States is relatively
stable at about 1.1 billion pounds of active
ingredients each year.
Total usage has stabilized as application rates have been
reduced and as applications Have become more efficient
and targeted.
Agricultural use of pesticides currently requires
about 825 million pounds of active ingredients
eaeto year, three-fourths of the total.
Benefits of Membership
Joining the partnership gives your organization
opportunities to demonstrate a commitment to
environmental stewardship and take steps to put this
commitment into practice. Membership may well
enhance public perception of your organization,
constituent support, and employee morale. In addition,
membership offers access to the following benefits:
I On joining, each Partner or Supporter is assigned
a liaison who serves as that organization's official
contact with EPA. The liaison can help obtain
information not only about the partnership,
but about other EPA programs, policies, and
procedures. Further, your contact can help express
your organization's concerns to EPA management
and ensure that these views are considered as the
agency develops pesticide regulations and makes
decisions on agricultural policies.
I As funds allow, EPA and USDA provide Partners
with seed money to help support pest management
practices that reduce pesticide use and risk. In
addition, Partners participate in the identification
of needs for research on alternative systems for
pest management, as provided for in the August
1994 Memorandum of Understanding between
EPA and USDA.
Nonagriculturai uses of pesticides- in industrial,
commercial, government, and home and garden
settings - account for the remaining quarter of the
total, about 215 million pounds each year.
Pesticides are used on more than 900.000 farms and
in 69 million households.
In 1993, U.S. spending for pesticide use
totaled $8.5 billion—two-thirds for
agricultural uses and the remaining
third for other uses.
The Pesticide Environmental Stewardship
Program will publicly recognize Partners and
Supporters that demonstrate their commitment to
environmental stewardship and achieve progress
in reducing pesticide use and risk while managing
pests cost effectively.
Next Steps
EPA and its sister agencies invite and encourage your
organization to join the partnership if it has a genuine
interest in environmental stewardship and is willing to
make a serious commitment to reducing pesticide use
and risks.
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&EPA
Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program
Biopesticides and Pollution Prevention Division (7501 W)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street SW
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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