The US Environmental Protection Agency's role in pesticide resistance management

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has historically considered pesticide resistance management as an important component of environmentally sound pest management practices. However, EPA does not have an official policy or standard data requirements in place. This paper will consider: (1) how the Agency has considered pesticide resistance management under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) when making emergency exemption decisions (e.g., oxytetracycline), special review decisions (e.g., EBDCs), and registration decisions (e.g., synthetic pyrethroid insecticides, and plant-pesticides producing Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxins); and (2) how the Agency is continuing to evaluate and refine the role pesticide resistance management has in the Agency's regulatory decisions.