EPA considers pilot program for pesticide labeling

The EPA is interested in conducting a “User Acceptance Pilot” to gauge whether users would accept a system requiring them to obtain labeling via the Internet. The pilot would demonstrate how users could access labeling information using the website and would not involve the actual distribution of pesticide product labeling.

On Aug. 18, 2010 EPA published a Federal Register Notice inviting participation in the pilot. EPA welcomes participation by stakeholders who commit to:

* Developing a sample web-distributed labeling website per the specifications in the Federal Register Notice

* Developing a sample web-distributed labeling website that incorporates additional features covered in the Work Group’s Website Functionality Discussion Paper (7 pp, 70k, about PDF)

* Soliciting feedback from users and other stakeholders on their experience with the website

Deadline for participation is Sept. 17, 2010. EPA will schedule a meeting with all interested parties after it has reviewed the responses. EPA’s goal is to have all User Acceptance Pilot websites ready for users to test by Oct. 15, 2010.