FY 2000 PNN Budget Proposal

CY 1999 PNN Annual Report

Background

The enabling legislation (HB 1009: July 23,1995) that created the Washington State Commission on Pesticide Registration (WSCPR), also directed the WSCPR to provide a program for tracking the availability of effective pesticides for minor crop and emergency uses in Washington. This mandate resulted in the creation of the Pesticide Notification Network (PNN) which is operated for the WSCPR by WSU’s Pesticide Information Center (PIC). The PNN began operation in early 1997, and following a short phase-in period, has been in full operation ever since.

The purpose of the PNN is to inform Washington State pesticide users of registration and label changes for products of interest to agriculture. The system does this by distributing information to commodity/commission and grower groups representing Washington State’s diverse agriculture. These groups comprise a network of contacts that have agreed to pass along information to the pesticide users that they represent. The PNN also distributes information to Washington State University Cooperative Extension personnel. The system currently distributes information to a total of 188 contacts across the state.

One goal of the PNN is to get the right information to the right people. This is done by sending each PNN notification to a targeted distribution list. In the PNN database, each contact is linked both with a list of specific usage sites and the types of pesticides they wish to receive information about. In this manner, a WSU entomologist conducting research on tree fruit will receive only information about insecticides registered for use on tree fruits while the Washington Blueberry Commission receives all notifications relating to pesticide use on blueberries.

In addition to actively distributing information via e-mail and fax, the PNN also (passively) provides information via a web page found at URL: http://www.tricity.wsu.edu/~mantone/pl-newpnn.html.

PNN Activities

In CY 1999, the PNN distributed 355 notifications via 8537 individual transmittals (e-mail messages, faxes, and notifications mailed through the US mail). These numbers are a significant increase over the CY 1998 activity.

The PNN web page was significantly revised in the fall of 1999. The changes that were made include:

Increasing the SLN information to include all of the currently registered Washington SLNs. In the past only those SLNs issued in 1996 or later were posted. This effort involved posting information on an additional 150 active SLNs.

As part of the PNN web page overhaul, the notifications themselves are now also being posted. While the PNN notifications are summarized in tabular form, the full text of each notification is also available for review. Prior to this change, the PNN notifications had been summarized in the electronic version of the Agrichemical and Environmental News (URL http://www2.tricity.wsu.edu/aenews/). The summaries in the AENews were discontinued in October when this information began being posted on the PNN web page.

The PNN also distributed several "special topic" notifications in the second half of 1999. The purpose of these types of notifications is to supply information on issues important to Washington agriculture, in a form that is quick to review. Where applicable, the notifications include an electronic citation for those wishing for more in-depth information. Special topic PNN notifications distributed in the second half of 1999 included:

Summary notifications describing the actions being taken by EPA with respect to methyl parathion and azinphos methyl (PNN # 1999-297 and 1999-298).

Details of WSDA's immediate cancellation of a Micro Flo azinphos methyl registration (PNN # 1999-225).

RED summaries for chlorothalonil (PNN # 1999-223), triphenyltin hydroxide (PNN # 1999-336), captan (PNN # 1999-349), and sulfotepp (PNN # 1999-355).

Additional PNN-Related Activities

Our office also reviews the Federal Register each month. A summary of tolerance information and any other pesticide-related information of interest to Washington agriculture is summarized and referenced. The tolerance and Federal Register summaries are also posted in the electronic version of the Agrichemical & Environmental News (URL: http://www2.tricity.wsu.edu/aenews/).