Aug 17, 2010
Bloomington, Ill. – CropLife America (CLA) president and CEO Jay Vroom spoke today on the importance of safety as a key component of modern agricultural stewardship at the 2010 National Agronomic Environmental Health & Safety School, a two-day intensive training and educational event geared specifically towards workers in the agricultural industry. CLA is a sponsor of the annual event and supports developing stewardship opportunities throughout the crop protection industry. The 2010 Safety School takes place Aug. 17-18 in Bloomington, Ill., and includes speakers representing government agencies and industry representatives, all discussing the importance of safety programs associated with delivery of agronomic inputs to American farms.
“CLA is proud to be a steady, longtime sponsor of the Safety School,” said Vroom. “And this dedication to supporting farm safety spans the industry, including our association network and organizations such as the Western Plant Health Association and Southern Crop Production Association. Worker safety has always stood as the number one priority for the crop protection industry and since 1978, the Safety School has been the annual event that ties it all together for agronomic products.”
Sponsorship of the Safety School is one of many stewardship initiatives at CLA. Most recently, CLA’s Stewardship Committee worked with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Ag Container Recycling Council (ACRC) in finalizing a new brochure, Safely Cleaning Refillable Pesticide Containers for Recycling. The Stewardship Committee is also involved in a landmark Mini-Bulk Container Recycling Pilot Program recently launched in Iowa by ACRC and the Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI). In addition, CLA’s stewardship efforts reach out to several other industry, government and university organizations dedicated to protecting the environment and helping agriculture support the efficient production of wholesome, abundant and affordable food.
Vroom also spoke on the many challenges facing modern agriculture and the importance of presenting a unified image of the industry. Top concerns which could impact much of modern agricultural technologies and practices range from Clean Water Act NPDES permitting, the faulty consultation process between EPA and the Endangered Species Services as part of the Endangered Species Act, and proposed spray drift label language which calls for the near-impossible “zero-drift.” CLA is actively engaged in these issues, among others, to help ensure that modern agriculture can thrive in a predictable, sound, science-based regulatory system.
“These issues all pose as serious threats to modern agriculture, which we all represent,” continued Vroom. “We all need to be ambassadors for agronomic products that provide farmers the safe and effective scientific tools to produce an abundant supply of affordable food, fiber and renewable fuels.”
For more information on the Safety School, visit www.naehss.org.
