A California pesticide list is getting an unusually broad mailing address: the offices of all 58 county agricultural commissioners. For almond operations, the change starts upstream, with the ingredients in registered crop-protection products.
AB 1603 assigns the disclosure work to the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and pesticide registrants. It is a product-information measure, not a new restriction on which pesticides almond growers may use.
A definition with a wide reach
The law defines PFAS as a class of fluorinated organic chemicals containing at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom. It covers PFAS intentionally added to a pesticide, a broad formulation that can make ingredient review more consequential than a quick scan for a familiar chemical name. The statutory definitions determine which products fall into the disclosure category.
That leaves a practical question for almond PCAs and managers: which products in a program contain a covered ingredient? The law’s disclosure obligations land on registrants, but product-level information will matter to the people making orchard decisions.
From registration files to county offices
AB 1603 directs DPR to identify registered pesticides containing PFAS pesticide ingredients, publish the information on its website, and send the list to county agricultural commissioners. The law’s disclosure requirements put a state-maintained record between registration data and local agricultural offices.
The filing burden is not described as a new grower report. Registrants, meanwhile, may need to examine product formulations and ingredient records to determine whether their products meet the definition. DPR’s statutory deadline gives the agency a fixed point for completing its identification and disclosure work.