NEW INDIA TRADE TARIFFS DO NOT IMPACT PECANS

NEW INDIA TRADE TARIFFS DO NOT IMPACT PECANS

On June 16, 2017, India government officials announced an increase in taxes on US products on several existing commodities.  For nuts, it was announced that the surcharge duties will be set at 120%.  However, pecans are excluded from the increased duty.  Almonds and walnuts are the only nuts listed in the increase for duties.  The effective duties go into effect June 16, 2019.

The American Pecan Council (APC) identified India as a potential top five market to target.  Currently, the APC is submitting an emerging market proposal (EMP) to try and obtain dollars to study the market and begin establishing a pecan market in the country.  The current tariff on pecans shipped to India is 36%.  APC will continue to monitor and communicate with industry as data becomes available.

EPA Registers Long-Term Uses of Sulfoxaflor While Ensuring Strong Pollinator Protection Registration provides benefits to growers and is supported by strong science that shows minimal risks for pollinators Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a long-term approval for the insecticide sulfoxaflor  ̶  an effective tool to control challenging pests with fewer environmental impacts. After conducting an extensive risk analysis, including the review of one of the agency’s largest datasets on the effects of a pesticide on bees, EPA is approving the use of sulfoxaflor on alfalfa, corn, cacao, grains (millet, oats), pineapple, sorghum, teff, teosinte, tree plantations, citrus, cotton, cucurbits (squash, cucumbers, watermelons, some gourds), soybeans, and strawberries. “EPA is providing long-term certainty for U.S. growers to use an important tool to protect crops and avoid potentially significant economic losses, while maintaining strong protection for pollinators,” said Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “Today’s decision shows the agency’s commitment to making decisions that are based on sound science.” Sulfoxaflor is an important and highly effective tool for growers that targets difficult pests such as sugarcane aphids and tarnished plant bugs, also known as lygus. These pests can damage crops and cause significant economic loss. Additionally, there are few viable alternatives for sulfoxaflor for these pests. In many cases, alternative insecticides may be effective only if applied repeatedly or in a tank mix, whereas sulfoxaflor often requires fewer applications, resulting in less risk to aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. EPA’s registration also includes updated requirements for product labels, which will include crop-specific restrictions and pollinator protection language. Background In 2016, following a 2015 decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacating the registration of sulfoxaflor citing inadequate data on the effects on bees, EPA reevaluated the data and approved registrations that did not include crops that attract bees. The 2016 registration allowed fewer uses than the initial registration and included additional interim restrictions on application while new data on bees were being obtained. Today’s action, adding new uses, restoring previous uses, and removing certain application restrictions is backed by substantial data supporting the use of sulfoxaflor. For additional information, please visit: www.epa.gov/ingredients-used-pesticide-products/decision-register-insecticide-sulfoxaflor-limited-uses-and. EPA distributes its OPP Updates to external stakeholders and citizens who have expressed an interest in the Agency's pesticide program activities and decisions. This update service is part of EPA’s continuing effort to improve public access to federal pesticide information. For general questions about pesticides and pesticide poisoning prevention, contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) by email at npic@ace.orst.edu or by visiting the NPIC website. For information about ongoing activities in the Office of Pesticide Programs, visit our homepage.

Newly Available Data to be Incorporated into Pyrethroid Proposed Interim Decisions Based on a thorough review of recent data, EPA concluded that there are reliable data to support reducing the current threefold (3X) Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) safety factor for pyrethroids to 1X, and that margin will be safe for infants and children. This reduced safety factor will be incorporated into the upcoming pyrethroid proposed interim decisions for registration review. EPA is required to apply a 10X margin of safety, or safety factor, to human health risk assessments to account for potential prenatal and postnatal toxicity of infants, children and pregnant women when exposed to pesticides. The law allows a different margin of safety only if the Agency has reliable data supporting a conclusion that the revised safety factor would protect infants and children.  The Agency considers the FQPA safety factor to have two components: one assigned to pharmacokinetic (PK) differences and another for pharmacodynamic (PD) differences. The PK component refers to the process of chemicals being absorbed, distributed, metabolized and excreted from and in the body. The PD component refers to how a chemical affects the body’s tissue. In 2010, EPA reviewed the data relevant to assessing the health risks of pyrethroid exposure to infants and children and found that they supported the removal of the safety factor for PD. However, the data were insufficient to change the PK portion of the uncertainty factor, thus leaving a 3X safety factor More recently, EPA has performed a new evaluation of available guideline and literature studies, as well as data generated by the Council for the Advancement of Pyrethroid Human Risk Assessment. The Agency concluded that the FQPA safety factor for pyrethroids should be reduced to 1X for all populations (1X for PD and 1X for PK) because the data indicate that there is no increased sensitivity, or in other words, there are no PK differences between adults and children. Pyrethrins and pyrethroids are insecticides widely used in and around households, including on pets. They are also used in treated clothing, mosquito control, and agriculture. We invite stakeholders to review the methodology and EPA’s conclusion to lower the FQPA Safety factor. EPA will be accepting comments on the white paper once the Federal Register notice announcing availability of the pyrethroid Proposed Interim Registration Review Decisions is published later this year. Once the Proposed Interim Decisions are published, comments should be submitted to www.regulations.gov under docket # EPA-HQ-OPP-2008-0331. For more details, read the “Re-Evaluation of the FQPA Safety Factor for Pyrethroids”. EPA distributes its OPP Updates to external stakeholders and citizens who have expressed an interest in the Agency's pesticide program activities and decisions. This update service is part of EPA’s continuing effort to improve public access to federal pesticide information. For general questions about pesticides and pesticide poisoning prevention, contact the National Pesticide Information Center (NPIC) by email at npic@ace.orst.edu or by visiting the NPIC website. For information about ongoing activities in the Office of Pesticide Programs, visit our homepage. You can unsubscribe or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems, please e-mail subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com for assistance. This service is provided to you at no charge by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Follow us on Twitter at @EPAChemSafety. This email was sent to whoughto@nmsu.edu using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: U.S. EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention · 707 17th St, Suite 4000 · Denver, CO 80202 · 1-800-439-1420