by Amelia Nestler
Contact your local league for ways to participate in member consensus!
End of October: Local Leagues should plan to complete their consensus.
Mid-November: Local Pesticides/Biocides consensus reports are due to
LWVOR
November: the study committee will tabulate consensus results
December: the LWVOR Member Agreement Committee drafts a position
statement
January ’22: LWVOR Board approves the position
The use of pesticides is a balancing act between advantages and disadvantages. To understand both beneficial and adverse impacts requires a broad overview of prevailing policy and the effects that policy has had. This study reviews the environmental and health costs and benefits of pesticide use, the current state of regulation at federal, state and local levels, and the practices and precautions presently in place for their use. It reviews potential improvements to regulations and changes to practices that could improve outcomes and protect the environment and human health while maintaining a stable, safe and reliable supply of foods and other farmed products.
Five key areas of pesticide development, use and policy were identified for review and potential improvements:
• Education, training and labeling
• Transparency and information gathering
• Funding, research, and evaluation
• Adaptive management and Integrated Pest Management
• Burden of proof and the precautionary principle.