What's Changing with Pesticide Labels?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making changes to pesticide labels to protect endangered species, following the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This means new requirements for you, the applicator.
Why the Changes?
A 2011 lawsuit highlighted that EPA wasn't fully meeting ESA requirements when registering pesticides. Now, EPA has a workplan to ensure protection of endangered species while maintaining pesticide access.
Key Agencies
- EPA (Environmental Protection Agency): Oversees pesticide registration.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), or "The Services": Determine which species are threatened or endangered.
Pesticide Applicators: Expect Label Changes
Pesticide labels will have new instructions to reduce harm to endangered species. You may need to take extra steps before applying pesticides. These could include:
- Mandatory Spray Drift Mitigation
- Modified spray droplet sizes
- Boom length adjustments
- Increased buffer distances
- Windbreaks
- Mandatory Runoff and Erosion Mitigation
- Meeting "mitigation points" based on location and land use.
- Mandatory Measures to Protect Threatened and Endangered Species
- Following Endangered Species Bulletins, which might restrict product use in certain areas.
Right now, these revisions will apply mainly to agricultural pesticide applications. These changes will eventually impact all pesticide applicators.
Key Takeaway: Always read and follow the pesticide label instructions carefully before each application.
EPA's Strategies and Timeline
The EPA completed the ESA workplan in 2022. EPA is reviewing pesticide groups and creating strategies to protect species.
Here's the EPA's timeline:
- Endangered Species Act (ESA) Workplan: Finalized, Release Date: April & November 2022
- Herbicide Strategy: Finalized, Release Date: August 2024
- Vulnerable Species Action Plan: Finalized, Release Date: September 2024
- Rodenticide Strategy: Finalized, Release Date: November 2024
- Insecticide Strategy: Draft, Release Date: July 2024
- Antimicrobial Pesticides Strategy: Proposed Guidance, Release Date: December 2024
- Fungicide Strategy: Draft, Release Date: 2025
Informational Sessions
The Pesticide Registration team will host three virtual informational sessions to help pesticide applicators understand the changes. Each session will contain the same information and include a Question & Answer portion. Please register for the session most convenient for you.
- Monday, March 24 at 3:00 pm
- Tuesday, March 25 at 1:00 pm
- Wednesday, March 26 at 7:30 am
Colorado Listed Species
These plant species in Colorado are being scoped by EPA, and labels might have specific rules to protect them:
| Species Common Name | Species - Scientific Name | Status | ESA Strategy |
| Clay-Loving Wild Buckwheat | Eriogonum pelinophilum | Endangered | Herbicide |
| Colorado Hookless Cactus | Sclerocactus glaucus | Threatened | Herbicide |
| DeBeque phacelia | Phacelia submutica | Threatened | Herbicide |
| Mesa Verde Cactus | Sclerocactus mesae-verdae | Threatened | Herbicide |
| Ute ladies'-tresses | Spiranthes diluvialis | Threatened | Herbicide |
Only federally threatened and federally endangered species will be impacted by this change. You can find a list of Colorado's threatened and endangered species on the Colorado Parks and Wildlife website. Species listed as “state endangered,” “state threatened,” or “state special concern” are not included in EPA’s scope.
Important Resources
- EPA:
- Endangered Species: Information For Pesticide Users
- Workplan and Strategies
- Mitigation Menu
- Endangered Species Protection Bulletins: EPA Bulletins & Tutorial
- CSU: Colorado Certified Crop Advisor Program (Working with a certified advisor can earn you 1 mitigation point)
- United States Fish & Wildlife Service: Endangered Species Act Website
Contact Us
If you have additional questions about this change, please contact Mira McBroome.