Biden administration restores pre-Trump farmworker protections from pesticides

The Biden administration this week restored Obama-era farmworker protections from pesticides that were rolled back under the Trump administration.

The rule restores a requirement preventing people from being within 100 feet of where some pesticides are sprayed. This boundary particularly applies for pesticides with small droplets that make them prone to accidental exposures.  

The Trump administration had previously reduced this boundary to 25 feet. However, the Trump rule never actually took effect because it was temporarily halted in court.

The Biden administration also reinstated a pre-Trump provision stating that this boundary applies beyond the edge of a farm if it is within the 100-foot radius, or a 25-foot radius for pesticides with medium or large droplets. The Trump administration had previously said that boundary enforcement could only go to the farm’s edge regardless of actual distance from the pesticides. 

“Farmworkers help to provide the food we feed our families every day and it’s EPA’s job to keep them safe from pesticides,” said Michal Freedhoff, the Environmental Protection Agency’s top chemical safety official, in a written statement on Wednesday. 

“Today’s rule is another significant step by the Biden-Harris Administration to protect public health and deliver on environmental justice,” Freedhoff added. 

In rolling back the protections, the Trump administration argued that the changes it was making  “make it easier to ensure people near our nation’s farms are protected, while simultaneously enhancing the workability of these provisions for farm owners and protecting the environment.”