Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 10/25/19

The EPA on Thursday dropped a rule that would alter pesticide no-spray buffer zones around fields and orchards. The agency, posting on the Federal Register, said that changes to the Agricultural Worker Protection Standards are intended to "simplify" requirements for the outdoor area surrounding pesticide equipment.

The current rules stipulate that the so-called Application Exclusion Zone, AEZ, can range from anywhere between 25 and 100 feet from the site of application and can reach beyond a farm's property line. EPA wants to shrink those exclusion zones by ordering that enforcement of the AEZ can't extend outside of property boundaries.

All in the family: The proposal would also exempt farm family members from exclusion-zone requirements. During spraying, members would choose whether to leave or stay on the farm.

EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a statement that the proposed changes make the current AEZ provisions "effective and easier to implement." A cohort of ag interests, such as the American Farm Bureau Federation and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, praised the move in EPA's press release announcing the changes.

Opposition: But critics argue that the rule undercuts worker and family protections by allowing a greater chance of contact with potentially harmful pesticides.

"Although the proposal is framed as a narrow revision, it would in fact eliminate, reduce or weaken various AEZ provisions," said Farmworker Justice attorney Iris Figueroa. "These changes threaten to increase exposure to toxic pesticide drift for farmworkers and their families."

The EPA will take public comment on the proposal for 90 days.