We work internationally to build regulatory capacity through research, engagement, and communication. We accomplish this through trainings, workshops, and capacity building in the Western Hemisphere (Central and South America), Southeast Asia, and Africa.
This program is predicated on the fact that regulation should meet the needs of society by providing access to science-based information and technologies. Regulatory methods should encourage bilateral and regional approaches to strengthen and align pesticide regulatory systems with both the United States and international standard setting bodies. It is crucial for all interested parties (scientists, policy makers, federal agencies, etc.) to be closely involved with the on-going development and coordination of registration systems and trade standards to ensure that risks to human health and the environment are minimized, and benefits to global agricultural trade are realized. Unfortunately, the alignment of pesticide regulations and standards is currently disharmonized. Different countries and regions of the world have different approaches for assessment. Such differences make it more challenging to uniformly protect stakeholders and the environment, and ultimately create unnecessary barriers to innovation, acceptance, and trade. Specifically, access to new, low-risk pesticide products continues to be challenging for farmers. Even when products are available, farmers face trade barriers when residue or trade standards differ across borders or do not exist in export markets. Efforts to build regulatory capacity and encourage the adoption of import tolerances and Codex Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs), when appropriate, will help reduce trade barriers and ensure critical pest management tools are available to farmers everywhere.
The purpose of this program is to work towards pesticide harmonization, as aligned trade standards will best support exports of U.S. agricultural products to foreign markets and ensure sound regulation and proper stewardship, ultimately ensuring the responsible and sustainable use of pest management tools world-wide. Our goals are to support an innovation- and trade- friendly regulatory environment – one that is predictable, transparent, and guided by sound science. Science-based regulation is the most effective way to ensure farmers have the choice of the best available pest management technologies to help them meet their own agricultural and economic needs in a sustainable way.