By Matt Smith
The pesticide label is going online — kind of. I’ll explain, but the main takeaway is that a new step before spraying is required from now on. It’s not particularly difficult, but it is going to add to your pre-spray paperwork and planning.
Why is this happening? After multiple lawsuits, judges reaffirmed that the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act does not supersede the Endangered Species Act and ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had not adequately considered the effect of pesticides on endangered species during the label registration process. Therefore, pesticide labels need to contain new language to address this.
This put EPA in bind. Not only would this require labels expansive enough to cover multiple diverse habitats nationwide, but it was also estimated that by 2030 only 5% of pesticides would be brought into compliance. So the best solution was to add language to the pesticide label requiring applicators to visit a website before spraying. This website lets the applicator know if they are spraying in an area where endangered species could be threatened and if the products they plan to use require new restrictions to minimize potential harm.
This website is called Bulletins Live! Two (BLT), and there are already products on the market with labels that require you to visit the site before spraying. The requirement to visit the BLT website is often found in the Environmental Hazards or Directions for Use section of the label, usually in a subsection called Endangered Species Protection Requirements. If required, applicators must visit the website and enter the application location, the intended month of application (up to six months in advance) and the EPA registration numbers of the intended products.
The website will tell you if your spray location falls into what is called a Pesticide Use Limitation Area (PULA). If you are located in a PULA, it means you are within range of where applying pesticides may impact endangered species. If the product you are applying has been identified as posing risk to those species, the BLT website will provide additional directions for use. These directions are considered just as much a part of the label as what came attached to the pesticide container; you must follow them.
Print the BLT bulletin for your records. Once a bulletin is printed for a given month, applicators may follow it even if the online guidance changes between print day and spray day. For this reason, growers are encouraged to print BLT bulletins for all products they usually spray up to six months in advance to avoid surprising changes to spray limitations.
Matt Smith is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension commercial crop production and food systems agent for Lake and Orange counties.
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