REGULATORY SERVICES

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) Section 18, Emergency Exemptions

Under the authority granted by Section 18 of FIFRA, the EPA may authorize an exemption to registration of a pesticide, based on the information available to the agency thus allowing a pesticide to be made available for use. An exemption to the Federal registration requirements may be possible if an emergency condition exists which meets the requirements for such an exemption. There are four types of emergency exemptions:

• Specific exemption: may be authorized to avert:
  1. a significant economic loss; or
  2. a significant risk to endangered species; threatened species; beneficial organisms; or the environment.
     
• Quarantine exemption: may be authorized to control the introduction or spread of any pest.
  
• Public health exemption: may be authorized to control a pest that will cause significant risks to human health.
  
• Crisis exemption: may be utilized when the time from discovery of the emergency to the time when the pesticide use is needed is insufficient to allow for one of the other types of exemptions.

Requests for exemptions are normally initiated and submitted to VDACS by the Virginia Agricultural Research Extension Centers. Information submitted with each request for Section 18 specific exemption is reviewed by an independent Special Registration ad hoc Review Committee. The committee is appointed by the Pesticide Control Board to review the economic, environmental and human health impacts of the product. Upon completion and recommendation, the request for exemption is forwarded to the EPA for authorization of the exemption.

Click here to view the current list of Section 18 Emergency Exemptions authorized in Virginia.

FIFRA Section 24 Registration
Experimental Use Permits