Subject: PANUPS: 2.23 Billion Pounds/Year
From: [email-masked] (PANNA InfoPubs)
Date: 20 Jul 1994 05:46:05 -0000
Newsgroups: alt.sustainable.agriculture

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  PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK NORTH AMERICA UPDATES SERVICE
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Total U.S. Pesticide Usage Reaches 2.23 Billion Pounds in 
1993

July 19, 1994

In 1993, total U.S. pesticide use reached an estimated 2.23 
billion pounds, up from 2.15 billion pounds in 1990, 
according to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) June 
1994 report, "Pesticide Industry Sales And Usage: 1992 and 
1993 Market Estimates."   The study, which presents an 
overview of the U.S. pesticide industry for 1992 and 1993, 
reports that U.S. pesticide user purchases account for one-
third of the total world market in dollar terms, and one-
fourth of the total volume of active ingredient.
During recent years, use of active ingredient in the U.S. has 
remained relatively stable at 1.1 billion pounds. The volume 
of pesticides used for agricultural purposes also remained 
steady at approximately three-fourths of the total use. The 
EPA attributes the stabilization to "lower application rates 
due to the introduction of more potent pesticides, more 
efficient use of pesticides, and lower farm commodity 
prices."  

Other findings include:
-- Pesticides were used on more than 900,000 farms and in 
about 69 million households in the U.S.
-- Annual pesticide user expenditures totaled approximately 
$8.5 billion in 1993.
-- Farmers' expenditures on pesticides equal about 4.2% of 
total farm production expenditures, up from 3.9% in 1991.
-- Herbicides are the leading type of pesticides, in terms of 
both user expenditures and volume used. Atrazine and 
metolachlor are the two most widely used pesticides in U.S. 
agricultural crop production.
-- More pesticides and pesticide uses have been registered 
during the past year than in any year since 1975. In 1993, 
EPA registered 21 new uses and 20 new chemicals. In 1990, 8 
uses and 8 chemicals were registered. The EPA attributes the 
increase to improvements in the registration process and 
industry's expedient submission of data.

The EPA report notes that the agency is working in 
conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) to develop reduction plans for pesticide use and 
associated risks as part of a food safety initiative. In 
order to improve and increase the availability of information 
regarding national pesticide use patterns, EPA has expanded 
its surveying activities to include more non-agricultural 
uses. The agency is collecting data from non-agricultural 
certified/commercial applicators that will be compiled and 
submitted in a report to Congress.  Survey results will be 
published in late 1994.

Source: Arnold L. Aspelin, Pesticide Industry Sales and 
Usage: 1992 and 1993 Market Estimates, Environmental 
Protection Agency, June 1994.

Contact: Arnold L. Aspelin, Senior Economic Advisor, 
Biological and Economic Analysis Division, OPP/OPPTS/USEPA 
(503W), 401 M St., SW, Washington, DC 20460; phone (703) 308-
8200; fax (703) 308-8091.

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The Pesticide Action Network Updates Service (PANUPS) is a 
pesticide-related news service posted weekly by the 
Pesticide Action Network North America Regional Center 
(PANNA). PANNA is located at 116 New Montgomery Street, 
#810, San Francisco, CA 94105. Tel: (415) 541-9140. Fax: 
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