Chlorpyrifos returns to the US market

Abstract

In a win for farmers and pesticide makers, a federal appeals court has reopened the door for use of the organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos on food crops in some US states. A Nov. 2 ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit nixes a 2021 rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency banning the neurotoxic insecticide on food. The court ruling also orders the EPA to reevaluate whether chlorpyrifos can be safely used on crops like sugar beets, soybeans, and certain fruits and vegetables. In its opinion, the court notes that the EPA failed to consider “its own proposal to keep a set of high-benefit uses in place.” The agency was under a short, court-ordered deadline to make a decision about whether to cancel all uses of chlorpyrifos on food or show that anticipated uses are safe. The agency zeroed in on a single solution—banning all uses of