US EPA plans to assess inspections of illegal pesticide imports

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to begin preliminary research to assess the EPA’s inspections of, and enforcement against, illegal pesticide imports. 

 

The objective is to determine whether the EPA’s Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) import inspection program is effectively deterring, identifying and confiscating illegal pesticide imports, to protect human health and the environment. This includes whether the EPA is effectively identifying pesticide imports for inspection and sampling, and whether the EPA is taking appropriate enforcement action against noncompliant imports. 

 

The OIG plans to conduct work at EPA headquarters and selected regional offices, and at any other applicable sites. Applicable generally accepted government auditing standards will be used in conducting our project. The anticipated benefits of this project are reduced risks to human health and the environment from illegal pesticide imports. This project is included in the OIG’s fiscal year 2016 Annual Plan.