EPA Establishes Clearer and Less Demanding Data Requirements for Pesticide Product Performance to Simplify Registration Process for Manufacturers
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced final product performance data requirements for pesticides claiming efficacy against certain invertebrate pests. This move is part of the EPA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its pesticide approval process.
The new standards, announced on April 15, 2022, establish specific testing and data submission standards that pesticide registrants must meet to demonstrate product efficacy and safety. These requirements are particularly significant for pesticides targeting invertebrate pests such as ticks, mosquitoes, cockroaches, wood-destroying insects like termites, and certain invasive invertebrate species such as the Asian long-horned beetle.
To ensure compliance with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the EPA has issued final test guidelines for pesticide efficacy, including for invertebrate pests. These guidelines specify the study designs, data types, and performance criteria registrants must follow to support registration.
The EPA has also modernized data submission using electronic reporting tools like Forms 8570-34 and 8570-35 and the MyPest app. This system improves accuracy and reduces review times, thus accelerating pesticide registration decisions for data including product performance.
The new product performance standards are expected to help save registrants time and money by reducing waste and unnecessary testing. The EPA estimates that the final rule saves registrants approximately $17,000 per data package submitted to the EPA.
The EPA will help ensure that submitted data meet its needs and scientific standards, as well as a requirement of the 2018 Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA 4). The new standards make it easier for pesticide registrants to know the efficacy data required for submission to the EPA.
The final rule officially incorporates the product performance standards requirements for the specified invertebrate pests into the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The EPA's action is intended to support the registration of products making claims of efficacy against the specified invertebrate pests and aims to increase the efficiency of its approval process for pesticide products.
The EPA's new product performance standards for pesticides targeting specific invertebrate pests, like ticks and mosquitoes, are aimed at reducing waste and unnecessary testing, ultimately saving registrants time and money. These new standards are also expected to comply with the scientific standards and health-and-wellness requirements of the 2018 Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act (PRIA 4). Additionally, the EPA's modernized data submission system using electronic reporting tools and the MyPest app ensures that submitted data meets their environmental-science and efficiency needs for pesticide registration.
