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Industry tells Congress half-billion in products stuck at EPA review
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Summary
Industry trade groups and growers told the House Agriculture Committee that delays and staffing shortages at the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs are leaving post-patent and biological products in regulatory limbo, and urged full appropriations and procedural fixes.
Manufacturers, formulators and growers urged the House Agriculture Committee to fund and staff the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) to clear a regulatory backlog they said is delaying crop protection innovations.
Lede: "Over half a billion dollars in CPDA member products are stuck in the EPA's regulatory backlog," Terry Abbott, chairman of the Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology, testified, citing products used to improve formulation performance and stewardship.
Nut graf: For growers and small developers, witnesses said, delays mean lost market opportunities and slower access to adjuvants, inert formulations and biological products that can reduce drift, improve efficacy, and complement integrated pest management strategies.
Details from witnesses: Abbott said the backlog and a shortage of staff at OPP are the principal causes of slow review timelines and recommended full funding for OPP and continued implementation of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA) to improve predictability. "A well functioning OPP benefits farmers, innovators, consumers, and the environment," he said.
Don Cameron, who manages a large specialty-crop operation in California, told the committee that farmers operate on thin margins and cannot absorb prolonged delays. "To ensure my livelihood and that food arrives at your grocery store... I must protect my crops from pests and disease," Cameron said, and urged more support for programs that validate specialty-crop uses.
Industry context: Witnesses described the costs and time required to bring new chemistries and formulations to market: several witnesses cited development timelines of roughly 10 to 12 years and development costs on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars for a new active ingredient; Abbott and others said inadequate staffing at OPP prolongs that timeline further. Abbott said newer staff hired into OPP often lack experience with biologicals, creating additional review friction.
Policy options discussed: Witnesses urged increased appropriations for OPP, clearer regulatory pathways for biologicals and post-patent products, enhanced transparency and predictable review timeframes under PRIA and cooperative federal-state registration processes where feasible.
Ending: Lawmakers signaled interest in oversight and potential funding actions; committee members asked for written responses and pledged to keep the record open while considering appropriations and farm bill priorities.
