Simazine, a triazine herbicide used to control annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds in a number of Florida ag operations, is currently in reregistration by the EPA. This review is part of the EPA’s registration review process. It requires the review of every pesticide every 15 years to ensure that each substance has current science and risk assessments to support its continued use. Those in the Florida ag industry are being urged to make sure they let the EPA know how simazine is an important weed management tool.
Florida Ag Industry and Simazine
Many Florida ag operations use simazine to control weeds and grasses. The herbicide is used in operations producing citrus, tree nuts, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, avocados and more.
In an American Farm Bureau Federation release on the EPA’s registration review process, the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has expressed misgivings with some of the EPA’s process. According to the release, the AFBF explained that “As part of the review process, EPA recently posted its draft ecological risk assessment, which contains several data and methodological errors that need to be corrected.”
The AFBA went into further detail, claiming the EPA took only half of the usual time in starting the registration re-review process, made scientific errors and flawed interpretations in its draft ecological risk assessment and used flawed studies. The most obvious interpretation is that the AFBA believes the EPA is gearing up to NOT renew simazine’s registration.
Lastly, the AFBA maintained the EPA should use the “best science and data” as the “cornerstone of this important regulatory process.” Part of the registration review includes a public comment period. Invested parties can comment on the draft assessment until the end of the public comment period, with goes through October 4, 2016.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.