Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings collection
Date of this Version
March 1990
Document Type
Article
Abstract
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was amended in 1988 to require the reregistration of all pesticides registered before 1984 within 9 years. The FIFRA 88 required that all pesticide active ingredients must meet current registration standards, suspended the previous fee structure, and imposed a one-time registration fee and annual maintenance fees. New data generated because of FIFRA 88 must conform to EPA's Good Laboratory Practice Standards and animal studies must follow guidelines of the Animal Welfare Act. FIFRA 88 has significantly increased data requirements, data costs, and other pesticide registration and reregistration costs for most pesticides. The increased financial burden has caused industry and governmental agencies to drop minor-use registrations that could not generate sufficient profit to pay for reregistration. During 1989, over 19,000 pesticide registrations were canceled because of the imposition of annual maintenance fees levied by FIFRA 88. More registrations will be canceled in 1990 as registrants find that it is not cost-effective to provide data for many minor-use pesticides. This will result in the loss or further use restrictions on chemicals critical to manage vertebrate pests. In addition, the reregistration process will divert funds from research on alternative pest management practices at a time when that research is critically needed.