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Senate Agriculture Committee narrows focus on H.739, seeks permit-based limits on paraquat use
Summary
The Senate Agriculture Committee heard expert testimony on H.739, which would prohibit paraquat but include narrow exemptions for tree and berry production; witness Steve Gwozdz urged relying on EPA and engineering standards and using a permit to control drift and applicator practices.
The Senate Agriculture Committee on April 23 heard expert testimony on H.739, a bill to prohibit the use and sale of the herbicide paraquat while allowing narrowly defined exemptions for certain tree and berry production.
Steve Gwozdz, director of the Division of Plant Industry at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, told the committee that paraquat labels and federal guidance already include detailed application requirements. "When it comes to hand application, there's actually specific language on the label relative to hand application," he said, noting hand application must be hand-pressurized and that drift is governed by nozzle type, boom height, pressure and droplet size.
Gwoz…
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