Popular banned insecticide could become legal again

MARYLAND –  Local farmers now have their eyes focused on Washington, D.C. as the Department of Justice eyes the possibility of overturning a ban on a commonly used insecticide called Loraspan.

The insecticide is widely used for several crops, including fruits and vegetables, as well as field crops such as corn and wheat.

But was banned completely in 2015 because of its use of a chemical called chlorpyrifos that the EPA had previously banned due to health concerns.

Now the USDA is asking for a reversal because they claim the scientific results don’t show a need for a total ban. We also spoke with a local agricultural educator who says when farmers use Loraspan they usually apply it in a way that there won’t be major health concerns.

“So it might have some health impacts but usually when the farmers are using these products they follow the rules they follow the labels and so there is a specific time limit,” explains Manish Poudel, an Agricultural Educator with UMD Extension.

Poudel says reversing this ban could also really benefit local farmers because they can reduce the number of insecticides use in the field, since Loraspan can kill several types of crop-killing insects.