Pesticide risks minimized in hands of professionals

Gov. Andrew Cuomo must ignore overstated claims about the safety of a critical tool for New York farmers and veto a bill that would prohibit the use of chlorpyrifos in the coming weeks.

In a recent letter, “Cuomo, sign ban on dangerous pesticide,” Aug. 8, the author states that chlorpyrifos is “extremely toxic to human health and wildlife” and therefore should be banned.

There are many everyday tools and products that all of us use — a car, gasoline, prescription drugs — that if misused could prove deadly. Those risks are minimized when used properly or when used, in some cases, by trained professionals as is the case with chlorpyrifos.

Restrictions are already in place barring residential use. There have been efforts to stop the use of chlorpyrifos on certain foods, but both the Trump and Obama administrations have repeatedly denied these motions — and did so again last month due to a lack of credible scientific evidence.

We need to look no further than Maryland and Pennsylvania where entire crops have been devastated by invasive species. There, chlorpyrifos is being looked at as a solution rather than the problem.

New York farmers use chlorpyrifos with more caution than anywhere else in the nation due to existing state regulations. Scientists at both the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Conservation regulate these products to ensure humans and the environment are protected and we should let them do their jobs. It is unwise to allow untrained politicians to take on this authority.

Cuomo needs to veto this proposal. Brian reeves Baldwinsville Farmer; president, New York State Vegetable Growers Association