Posted March 14, 2014
The National Agricultural Law Center offers a wide
range of resources, one of which is the Pesticides Reading Room available here.
Pesticides, created to be toxic to specific organisms,
have helped bring about the industrialization of agriculture. Pesticide use and its inherent toxicity
require regulation to ensure the safety of the public, the food supply, and the
environment. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) primarily regulates pesticides and also works with state
agencies.
Major statutes include the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), 7 U.S.C. §§
136-136y, and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) 21 U.S.C. §§
301-392. FIFRA establishes the general
system of federal pesticide regulation, while the FFDCA establishes a system to
govern pesticides in food and feed.
The Pesticides Reading Room provides information on
major statutes, relevant regulations, links to the case law index,
administrative law decisions, Center research publications, relevant
Congressional Research Service reports, and many other resources.
These resources are provided by the National Agricultural
Law Center as a free service to the public.
