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Reduced EPA workforce raises concerns over pesticide approvals

The president and CEO of CropLife America says there’s concern in agriculture that staffing levels at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are insufficient.

Alexandra Dunn says the agency’s pesticide division is a prime example.

“The office went from a peak of about 1,000 staff; they’re now at about 500.”  She says, “So, you’ve got half the workforce than you had before.”

She tells Brownfield that last year’s early retirement offers were attractive to many employees.

“The pesticide office was not affected by DOGE.”  She says, “What they were affected by was the fact that a lot of people came into the pesticide office when the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 was passed. So, a lot of people have hit 40 years of service with the federal government and they’re retiring.”

Dunn, who served as the Assistant Administrator of the US EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention during the first Trump administration, says less agency staff is likely to lead to longer approvals and re-authorizations of chemistries that farmers rely on.

Brownfield spoke with Dunn at the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association’s 2026 annual meeting in Peoria.

AUDIO: Alexandra Dunn – CropLife America