Elk Grove Milling, Inc. pays $12,500 to settle pesticide violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week reached a $12,500 settlement with Elk Grove Milling, Inc., a pesticide production facility, to resolve alleged production and distribution of an unregistered, mislabeled horse feed containing Rabon, an organophosphate used to control flies in horse feces.

The EPA alleged that Elk Grove Milling, Inc., located at 8320 Eschinger Rd. in Elk Grove, Calif., did not accurately report the production, sale and distribution of the pesticide, Stable Mix Plus with Fly Control, a requirement of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The agency also alleged that the company sold Stable Mix Plus with Fly Control despite the fact that the pesticide was both unregistered and mislabeled.

“Selling or distributing unregistered, mislabeled pesticides are serious violations that can result in harm to public health and the environment,” said Kathrine Taylor, associate director of the Communities and Ecosystems Division for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “Companies must report production and distribution of all pesticides.”

Few animal feeds are also registered pesticides. Both the product’s contents and claims on its label are considered when determining the need for pesticide product registration. Federal law requires pesticide products to be registered. During registration, labeling language is reviewed by the EPA to ensure directions-for-use and safety concerns are adequately addressed.

Federal law further requires companies producing pesticides to report production and distribution annually. These requirements protect public health and the environment by ensuring safe and effective handling, application, and disposal of pesticides, and by preventing false, misleading, or unverifiable product claims.

Pesticide producing facilities are responsible for ensuring the products produced are registered. There are a number of free on-line databases where registration status of EPA registration numbers can be checked.

For more information on pesticide regulation and enforcement, please visit: http://epa.gov/pesticides/
For more information on the status of EPA registration numbers, please visit: http://ppis.ceris.purdue.edu/ or http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Index.html