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Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act Compliance Monitoring
FIFRA Topics
- Good Laboratory Practices
- FIFRA Grants
- Inspections
- Worker Protection Safety
- Pesticide Producing Establishments
- Pesticide Imports and Exports
EPA works with its federal, state and tribal regulatory partners to assure compliance with pesticide laws and regulations in order to protect human health and the environment. The major federal law governing pesticides is the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).
To assure the quality and integrity of data submitted to the Agency, EPA prescribes good laboratory practices for those labs conducting studies that support or are intended to support applications for registration of pesticide products. EPA conducts inspections of these laboratories and data audits to monitor compliance.
Individuals applying pesticides must do so in a manner not only consistent with federal laws, but also consistent with state laws and regulations which may differ from state to state. In general, states have primary authority for compliance monitoring and enforcement against the use of pesticides in violation of the labeling requirements. Additionally, the agency with primary responsibility for pesticides differs from state to state. Usually a state's department of agriculture has the primary responsibility, but this responsibility may be a state's environmental agency or other agency.
Several different approaches are utilized by EPA. They include:
- Assuring the quality and integrity of test data submitted to the Agency under FIFRA through the Good Laboratory Practices (GLPs) program
- Providing assistance grants to states, territories, and possessions of the U.S., including the District of Columbia and Indian tribes, in developing and maintaining comprehensive pesticide programs that address all aspects of pesticide enforcement and special pesticide initiatives
- Inspecting pesticide producing establishments, retailers, applicators, farms, and other sites involved in the sale or distribution of pesticides
- Protecting agricultural workers from the effects of exposure to pesticides through the Worker Protection Standard (WPS) Program
- Registering pesticide producing establishments and monitoring the amount of pesticides they produce
- Overseeing pesticide imports to and exports from the United States
The FIFRA compliance monitoring program works in conjunction with the Agency's pesticide compliance assistance activities as well as the FIFRA civil enforcement program.