The Senate of the US state of Connecticut has passed legislation requiring the mandatory labelling of food containing genetically modified ingredients. Senate Bill 802 would require GM food intended for human consumption to carry the phrase, “produced with genetic engineering”, on its packaging. It would also cover seed or seed stock intended to produce food for human consumption. Exemptions would apply for food prepared for immediate consumption, food sold at farmers’ markets and certain ...

Sipcam-Oxon’s US agrochemical business, SipcamAdvan (Durham, North Carolina), has introduced four turf fungicides incorporating its ETQ technology. The technology optimises turf quality and protects from ultra-violet light, the company points out. The four products are Echo Dyad (chlorothalonil), E-Scape (chlorothalonil + tebuconazole), Eclipse (iprodione) and Sipcam Clearscape (tebuconazole).

The US EPA has granted biopesticide company Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI – Davis, California) permission to remove the bee toxicity warning from its bioinsecticide/acaricide, Grandevo (Chromobacterium subtsugae strain PRAA4-1T). The move follows a review of a third-party field study on Grandevo applied pre-bloom and during bloom to buckwheat during bee flight. Bee mortality was not statistically different from a water treatment control group, the company notes. “We can now reassure growers that ...

The US EPA has established temporary tolerances for the use of the antibiotic, streptomycin, on grapefruit for the control of citrus canker (Xanthomonas citri). The tolerances are associated with an emergency exemption request from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The FDACS sought the exemption to allow usage on 54,000 acres (21,853 ha). Citrus canker was once limited to localised areas in Florida but it has become widespread after recent severe hurricane ...

The year began with an executive order from US President Barack Obama calling for a review of regulation by the EPA and other agencies. Top of the industry’s wish-list for regulatory reforms were an improved consultation process between agencies on pesticide risks to endangered species and new legislation to avoid the need for permits to apply pesticides over water. While some progress was made, the industry wish-list remained just that as the year drew to a close. The President’s order ...

When the organisers of the CropLife America (CLA)/RISE spring conference drew up the agenda, the title of the session on the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issue must have looked highly topical. With the Sixth Circuit Court’s April 9th deadline looming for the EPA to draw up a general NPDES permit, “Clean Water and NPDES – What happens tomorrow?” was a great title. In the event, the EPA had gained a six-month extension and the only deadline in most minds in ...

The convergence of regulatory issues facing the US agrochemical sector was described by more than one industry representative as a potential “train wreck” at the CropLife America (CLA)/RISE spring conference in Washington this month. Court-imposed requirements for pesticide application permits under the Clean Water Act and endangered species assessments by the EPA in consultation with the wildlife agencies are just two of the major issues facing the industry. Forthcoming new rules on spray ...