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Pesticide News Story: Voluntary Cancellation of All Methyl Parathion Registrations
For Release: April 30, 2010
EPA has received requests from the registrants to voluntarily cancel all product registrations containing methyl parathion, a restricted use organophosphate insecticide and acaricide used primarily on cotton, corn, and rice, as well as on other agricultural crops. These requests would terminate the last methyl parathion products registered for use in the U.S., effective December 31, 2012. End-use products will not be sold after August 31, 2013, and end-use products cannot legally be used after December 31, 2013. All end use product labels will be amended to reflect the last legal use date.
The Registration Review docket for methyl parathion opened in June 2009 and a Final Work Plan was signed in October 2009. EPA’s registration review decision will be based on the cancellation of all registered products. Any party wishing to pick up the registrations will be responsible for submitting all required data. Methyl parathion is named in the Washington Toxics Coalition v. EPA Endangered Species Act lawsuit, and the National Marine Fisheries Service is scheduled to issue a Biological Opinion on methyl parathion and other pesticides later this year. Methyl parathion is also included in the group of 58 pesticide active ingredients on the initial list to be screened under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program.
In addition to cotton, corn (field, pop, and sweet), and rice, methyl parathion is currently registered for use on alfalfa, almonds, barley, canola/rapeseed, grass (forage), oats, onions, potatoes (sweet and white), rye, soybeans, sunflowers, walnuts, and wheat. The three registrants are: Cheminova A/S, Cheminova, Inc, and United Phosphorus, Inc.
In an April 28, 2010, Federal Register notice, EPA is inviting comment on the voluntary cancellation requests until May 28, 2010. Additional information on methyl parathion and the voluntary cancellation requests is available in registration review docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0332.