FIFRA, Explained

FIFRA, Explained

From People Places Planet by Environmental Law Institute

January 21, 2026 · 42 min · Season 8 · Episode 11

About this episode

This episode explains the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and its impact on pesticide regulation in the United States.

From the food we eat to the parks, farms, and neighborhoods around us, pesticide policy quietly shapes everyday life in the United States. In this installment of our Explained series on the nation’s foundational environmental laws, we turn to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, better known as FIFRA. Host Sebastian Duque Rios is joined by Dr. Jennifer Sass of the Natural Resources Defense Council and Keith Matthews of Matthews Law LLC to unpack how pesticides are regulated in the United States, why FIFRA was created, and how it has evolved from a consumer protection statute into a central health and environmental safeguard. Together, they walk through how EPA evaluates pesticide risks and benefits, what “unreasonable adverse effects” really means in practice, and how FIFRA interacts with food safety law and state authority. The conversation also explores the role of labels and enforcement, the promise and limits of safer alternatives like biopesticides, and the pressures facing pesticide regulation today—from staffing shortages to faster approval timelines. Whether you work in environmental law or are just trying to understand how pesticides are regulated…

People in this episode

Host: Sebastian Duque Rios

Guests: Keith Matthews, Dr Jennifer Sass

Topics covered

  • pesticide policy
  • FIFRA
  • environmental law
  • EPA regulation
  • food safety

Keywords

  • pesticides
  • biopesticides
  • environmental safeguard
  • consumer protection

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Explained

Places: the United States

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