Food Quality Protection Act: its impact on the pesticide industry

Enacted into law by Congress in August 1996, the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) is the most significant piece of federal pesticide legislation since the 1988 amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. FQPA was hastily drafted and approved towards the end of the 1996 Congressional session. The new law was advertised as resolving some long-standing problems; however, it is clear now that it has also created some new ones. Since the FQPA's passage, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued numerous rules and regulations that are being used to evaluate and judge the safety of pesticide use on foods. This article discusses some of the major provisions of the new law and their impact to the U.S. pesticide industry.