The Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology (CPDA), formerly known as the Chemical Producers & Distributors Association, is the primary advocate of the inert ingredient and adjuvant suppliers and supports formulators, distributors and manufacturers of post-patent crop and non-crop agricultural production technology products on federal legislative and regulatory issues.

News from CPDA

Registration is Now Open for the CPDA Inert Ingredients Symposium: CPDA is conducting an Inert Ingredients Symposium on June 4-5, 2013 at the Hilton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The Symposium will provide attendees with an understanding of the evolving federal requirements affecting inert ingredients used in agrotechnology products such as pesticides, plant nutrients, adjuvants, and soil conditioners. Manufacturers, suppliers and formulators of these products and inert ingredients should not miss this opportunity to hear from government regulators and industry experts on the federal regulation of inert ingredients. For an overview of the draft agenda and information on how to register click here.

CPDA President Sue Ferenc to Speak at the Agrochemical Formulation USA Conference: CPDA President Sue Ferenc will be speaking at the Informa Life Sciences’ 3^rd Annual Conference on Agrochemical Formulations USA scheduled for August 7-8, 2013 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Dr. Ferenc will address the impact of the changing regulatory environment in the U.S. on inerts and adjuvants used for crop protection formulation. As part of her talk, Dr. Ferenc will provide an overview of how certain states approach the review of adjuvants and inerts for use in pesticide formulations. Dr. Ferenc will also highlight the key features of the CPDA Adjuvant Certification Program which has gained wide-spread recognition throughout the industry as an innovative tool for encouraging product stewardship in the manufacture of agricultural adjuvants.

Check Out eConnectivity Progress at AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting: CPDA reminds members that registration is open for AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting in Johnston, Iowa, June 17-21. CPDA is a member of AgGateway, the non-profit consortium of agri-businesses working to expand electronic business within the ag industry. At this meeting, important discussions take place among industry players on critical projects that will affect how ag companies work with their trading partners. AgGateway members and non-members alike are welcome! Participants will be updated on current AgGateway projects, including the Standardized Precision Ag Data Exchange (SPADE) Project.

Of particular interest to CPDA members will be discussions of the Crop Protection Council, updates from the Precision Ag Council, the new Automated Information Data Capture (AIDC) Project, and a project under consideration for efficient regulatory information updates. Networking opportunities include receptions and breaks, as well as a tour of the John Deere Des Moines Work’s factory, where the company makes commercial application equipment, cotton harvesters and planting equipment.

There’s no registration fee for the meeting, so it’s a great time to invite a colleague and trading partners, to get up to speed on AgGateway and the eBusiness processes that will be affecting your business. Register today! Click here for more information (www.AgGateway.org).

CPDA and Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. Conduct Workshop on GHS Labeling Requirements for Agricultural Chemicals: On February 28, 2013 CPDA and the law firm of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. conducted a workshop on OSHA's final rule modifying its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to conform to the Global Harmonization System (GHS) for chemicals. The workshop examined the implications of these new requirements on the labeling of agricultural chemicals (pesticides, adjuvants, inert ingredients and fertilizers) and explored potential conflicts with labeling requirements of state agencies. Participants included representatives from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Department of Agriculture. CPDA extends a special thanks to Lynn Bergeson for her dual role in presenting at the workshop and serving as moderator of the federal panels. Our thanks also go to Johnnie Roberts (Helena Chemical Company) for moderating a panel discussion that focused on how state regulators might approach the review of non-FIFRA protected labels such as those for agricultural spray adjuvants, fertilizers, and Section 25(b) products. To access the speaker presentations, please click here.

CPDA-Canada Comments on PMRA Data Compensation Discussion Document: The Registration Task Force of CPDA-Canada submitted a set of comments to Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) on March 1, 2013 on the Agency’s discussion document titled “Reliance on Proprietary Data for the Purpose of Re-evaluation and Special Review.” CPDA-Canada applauded PMRA’s effort to establish a fair and equitable data compensation mechanism as provided for under Canada’s Pest Control Products Regulations. While expressing general support for PMRA’s approach, CPDA-Canada offered several recommendations aimed at bringing greater clarity and transparency to the data compensation process as it pertains to the re-evaluation of existing registrations and special review. To read more click here.

Labels Recommending Use of a CPDA Certified Adjuvant May be Revised to Reflect CPDA's New Name Without Formal Notification to EPA: Pesticide registrants currently using EPA’s approved label language recommending the use of a CPDA certified adjuvant may revise their labels to reflect CPDA’s new name without submitting a formal notification to the Agency. Recently, CPDA presented to EPA a rationale for allowing a name change on the label from “Chemical Producers and Distributors Association” to “Council of Producers & Distributors of Agrotechnology” without using the notification process. In a December 7, 2012 response, EPA concurred with this rationale and noted that the Agency’s Labeling Consistency Committee agrees that the use of CPDA’s new name on the label without formal notification to the Agency falls within the intent of PR Notice 98-10, Section IV.

CPDA Applauds the Enactment of PRIA 3: On Friday, September 28, 2012, President Barack Obama signed into law the Pesticide Registration Improvement Extension Act of 2012 (PRIA 3). House passage of the bill took place on September 14^th, just one day following Senate approval of the measure on September 13^th. As a member of the PRIA Coalition, CPDA has worked diligently to protect the interests of its inert ingredient supplier member companies by ensuring that the new service fees for inert ingredient approvals as set forth in the statute are fair and reasonable and that the time-lines for approval bring greater certainty and Agency accountability to the process. CPDA believes that PRIA 3 is a well-balanced legislative package that meets the needs of stakeholders and the public alike. Enactment of the bill into law effectively averts the uncertainty that would have ensued had the measure been allowed to expire on September 30^th. The passage of PRIA 3 in the House and Senate and its subsequent enactment represent a significant win for CPDA members and our allied partners in the agrotechnology and pesticide industries. Following Congressional passage of PRIA 3, CPDA released a news alert praising members of the House and Senate for moving forward with its reauthorization. To read the CPDA news alert on PRIA 3, click here.

Speaker Presentations from the 2012 Annual Meeting: Speaker presentations from the 2012 CPDA Annual Meeting held July 23-25 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho are posted on our web site. Additional presentations will be posted as we secure permission from the speakers. To access the presentations, click here.

Speaker Presentations from the 2012 Annual Adjuvants & Inerts Conference: Speaker presentations from the 2012 Annual Adjuvants & Inerts Conference held May 15-16 in Kansas City, Missouri are posted on the CPDA web site. Additional presentations will be made available as we secure permission from the speakers. To view the presentations available thus far, click here.

CPDA 2010-2011 Bi-Annual Report of the Association: CPDA is making available on its web site its 2010-2011 Bi-Annual Report. The report provides a comprehensive summary of the public policy issues and priorities that CPDA has focused on over the last two years. As always, we welcome our member company feedback on the report. A special thanks goes to Wilbur-Ellis Company for their assistance in the design and printing of this publication. To access the report, click here.

EPA Releases its Final NPDES Pesticide General Permit: As EPA had announced during the October 2011 meeting of the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC), the Agency has released its Pesticide General Permit (PGP) for discharges of certain pesticide applications on, over, or near waters of the U.S. The PGP was finalized by the court-ordered deadline of October 31, 2011 with an effective date of November 1, 2011 and is available on EPA’s web site at http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=410 but is not subject to further public comment. The PGP is identical to the pre-publication version of the draft final PGP released on April 1, 2011 with the exception that the final permit includes a set of conditions in response to the recommendations made by the National Marine Fisheries Service in its June 17, 2011 draft Biological Opinion (BiOp) pursuant to Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). EPA has signaled that once the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has completed its consultations with the Agency and developed its BiOp recommendations, the PGP may be subject to further revision. The Federal Register notice announcing the final PGP including the statutory and regulatory history surrounding its development as well as its scope and applicability may be accessed at http://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/11/07/2011-28770/final-national-pollutant-discharge-elimination-system-npdes-pesticide-general-permit-for-point.

EPA Releases Ninth Annual Report Summarizing the Agency's PRIA Implementation Activities: On March 1, 2013 EPA released its ninth annual report summarizing the status of the Agency’s implementation of PRIA. The Agency is required to publish the report under Section 33(k) of FIFRA as amended by PRIA. The ninth annual report covers EPA’s PRIA activities during Fiscal Year 2012 (October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012) and includes a discussion of the amount of registration and maintenance fees collected, actions completed, process improvements that have been implemented, and a variety of other PRIA related matters. To access the current report as well as those published previously, click here.

EPA Posts Online Pesticide Label Training Tutorial on its Web Site: EPA has posted on its web site an online pesticide label tutorial aimed at training EPA employees whose job includes the review of labels as part of the registration process. In announcing the online tutorial, the Agency states that pesticide industry employees who develop labels for submission to EPA will also benefit from the training as the material will give these individuals a better understanding of what constitutes an acceptable label. The online training course is divided into five modules as follows: Label Basics, Parts of the Label, Special Issues, Applying the Principles of Pesticide Label Review, and Emerging Issues andCourse Completion. The five modules track the key concepts and requirements set forth in EPA's Label Review Manual. EPA states that the entire training can be completed in one or two sittings. Individuals may come back to the training tutorial where they left off. A quiz is provided at the end of the tutorial to help individuals assess their basic comprehension of the key labeling concepts covered in the training course. To take the labeling training course, visit EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/labels/pest-label-training/module1/index.html.

Updated Blue Book Posted on EPA's Web Site: Updated "Blue Book" Now Available on EPA's Web Site: An updated version of the Pesticide Registration Manual,also known as the "Blue Book," is now available on EPA's web site.The manual describes EPA's review and decision making process for registering a pesticide product and its use. Detailed information for pesticide registrants concerning their responsibilities before, during and after the review process is also included in the manual. EPA ishoping to make available in the near future an electronicversion of the "Blue Book" inPDF format. The Agency intends to makesubsequent updates toindividual chapters of the manualas needed. The"Blue Book" may be accessed at http://www.epa.gov/opprd001/registrationmanual/.

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