The primary manufacturer of a pesticide banned by California and the European Union said it will no longer produce the chemical. Corteva, formerly Dow Agrosciences, said Thursday — the day the pesticide’s sales were officially halted in the state — that it will end production of chlorpyrifos by the end of this year. The move comes as the market for the chemical, which has been linked to developmental disorders, shrinks rapidly — the European Union followed California’s lead in banning it, as has New York. Environmental and farm-labor groups hailed the decision and vowed to press for the federal Environmental Protection Agency to ban its use. The state has created a working group to identify alternatives to the pesticide.

Source: Los Angeles Times February 07, 2020 00:00 UTC