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Web-Distributed Labeling Workgroup

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April 2013

This page describes activities of the Web-Distributed Labeling Workgroup, which works through the Pesticide Program Dialogue Committee (PPDC) to ensure the most current version of pesticide labeling is available to purchasers and users electronically.

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Draft Pesticide Registration Notice & Next Steps

In January 2013, EPA published a draft Pesticide Registration Notice outlining the process by which registrants could make a product’s labeling available via the Internet (web-distributed labeling) and asked for public comment. The comment period closed on April 16. EPA is reviewing the comments received and information on the next steps will be available here.

User Acceptance Pilot

Based on the input and advice of the PPDC Web-Distributed Labeling Workgroup, EPA is interested in conducting a “User Acceptance Pilot” to research the extent to which users would accept a system requiring them to obtain labeling via the Internet. The specific goal of the pilot is to determine whether the benefits of web-distributed labeling would be sufficiently appealing to users that they would be willing to visit a website to obtain labeling for a pesticide product. The pilot would demonstrate how users could access labeling information using the website and would not involve the actual distribution to users of actual pesticide product labeling that would rely on the web-distributed labeling approach.

Learn more about the User Acceptance Pilot and how to participate.

Background

Some current labeling problems exist due to a number of factors, including multiple goals for labeling; a paper-based submission, review and distribution system; product-by-product reviews by varying individual reviewers; changing standards of acceptability; resource constraints; and delay in getting new labels out to the public. These factors and others have made labeling complex and difficult to navigate for the public, users, states, registrants and other partners. Through stakeholder engagement, and internal and external review processes, we have developed a three-pronged approach to address these issues:

Our vision is to supply a streamlined system in which registrants will be able to submit product labeling electronically. The Pesticide Program will process the labeling internally using electronic means, and end-users will retrieve labeling via the Internet.

The last part of our projected process is to make the most current version of pesticide labeling available to purchasers and users electronically. To better define this issue, EPA and PPDC formed a workgroup. Members of this group met with stakeholders and drafted several issue papers. The issue papers capture as many perspectives as possible and outline legal and policy issues to be considered before developing a proposal to implement web distribution of labeling.

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Workgroup Focus

The Web-Distributed Labeling Workgroup discussed the following issues:

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Workgroup Members

Biopesticide Industry

Chemical Industry/ Trade Associations

Chemical Industry/ Trade Associations - Consumer Product Focus

State/Local/Tribal Government

Education/Public Foundation/Other

Environmental / Public Interest Groups

Federal Agencies

User/Grower Groups

Meeting Dates & Issue Papers

For more information on EPA's activities on web-based distribution of pesticide labels and labeling contact Michelle Arling (arling.michelle@epa.gov) or Bill Jordan (jordan.william@epa.gov).

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