CLA: 75 years of service.

1924 Several agricultural chemical manufacturers organized the Agricultural Insecticides and Fungicides Manufacturers Association (AIFMA). The organization's objective was to develop markets for agricultural insecticides and fungicides in the interest of the industry and the public welfare, and to adhere to sound business principles and ethics.

1930 AIFMA came to a standstill.

1932 AIFMA merges with what is now known as the American Chemistry Council. With this merger came the formation of a new committee, known as the Insecticide Committee. Lea Hitchner was elected Chairman.

1933 The Insecticide Committee formed the basis for a new association.

1934 The new association was incorporated under the name, Agricultural Insecticide and Fungicide Association (AIF) and Lea Hitchner was elected as its first President. There were 14 member companies the first year.

1942 AIF's Publicity Committee distributed the first "AIF News" to all agricultural interests. The first edition headlined "READ THE LABEL," an advisory that has been stressed ever since.

1947 The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) was passed to update the original legislation on pesticides--The Insecticide Act of 1910. This new Act broadened the scope of the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to regulate pesticides distributed in interstate commerce. FIFRA also required, for the first time, that pesticides be registered with USDA, and established more stringent and detailed labeling requirements.

Post WWII years may best be known when DDT came of age. Agricultural pest control had not only synthetic organic insecticides in the chlorinated hydrocarbon groups, but also synthetic organic herbicides, fungicides and rodenticides, these having been developed during 1938-1944. Organic phosphate insecticides were not far behind, being introduced in 1947. The systemic insecticides followed in 1950.

1949 The association moved its headquarters to Washington, D. C., and changed its name to the National Agricultural Chemicals Association (NACA). Membership was extended to formulators, remixers and suppliers of diluents, clays and surfactants.

1950 Public scrutiny broadened with the introduction of the many new chemicals. The industry recognized that it had a major public relations problem and began an extended cooperative effort with the government.

1954 The establishment of residue tolerance proved to be so cumbersome, that in 1954, NACA sponsored the Miller Amendment for the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. This Act strengthened the scientific basis for such regulation. It provided that the National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council have the responsibility for assessing the safety of pesticides and making appropriate recommendations to the Secy of Agriculture.

1959 The "Thanksgiving Cranberry Scare." A warning was issued that cranberries on the market were a hazard since an unknown quantity had been treated with a cancer-causing agent (aminotriazole). Cranberry sales collapsed and public confidence was shaken both domestically and abroad. NACA championed a study by independent scientists who found that the level of residues on the cranberries was well below the level to cause any significant risk to the consumer. The government paid more than $8.5 million in damages to growers.

1962 Lea Hitchner resigned and Parke Brinkley became the second Pres. Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" was published, with anti-pesticide implications.

1963 Legislation was introduced to amend FIFRA to require federal registration numbers on all pesticide labels.

1966 The report "Pesticide and Public Policy" was issued and concluded that there was no significant human health hazard when the great benefits of disease control and food production were weighed against the known hazards.

1967 NACA and eight European national agricultural chemical associations formed the International Group of National Associations of Agrochemical Manufacturers (GIFAP), headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

1970 The Pesticide Safety Team Network (PSTN) became operational, providing for safety teams throughout the U. S. to help in chemical emergencies. During this period, the board authorized the beginning of an aggressive public relations program. The Environmental Protection Agency was created in the wake of elevated concern about environmental pollution and was given responsibility for pesticide regulatory oversight.

1975 FIFRA was amended once again after NACA testified that the EPA had failed to properly implement FIFRA amendments.

1976 Parke Brinkley retired and Jack Early was elected as NACA's third Pres.

1978 FIFRA amendments were signed into law providing for an exclusive use period of ten years and a 15 year period of entitlement for the compensation of data used by others to register their own products. Foreign patent infringements had now become a serious problem, so NACA established a Patent Law Committee to help protect the rights of the industry's patents.

1980 By the eighties, NACA had entered an era of "high profile." The Agricultural Chemicals Dialogue group was formed and the State Affairs Committee was reorganized and strengthened. By this period, the NACA staff had grown to more than 20; there were 19 standing committees and over 100 member companies.

1986 A Strategic Planning Committee was formed to determine the direction of the NACA staff and its resources.

1987 FIFRA was back on the agenda again. There was a heightened awareness of groundwater contamination, led by environmental groups challenging the industry's treatment of the issue.

1988 NACA Strategic Planning Committee recommended a major restructuring of NACA. The staff and their resources needed to focus on the issues, be proactive instead of reactive. NACA responded by hiring a new VP and developed the Agriculture for a Clean Rural Environment (ACRE) program, a grassroots organization designed to work at the state level to educate the public and local officials.

1989 The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) attacked the industry with its food safety campaign. Their study, "Intolerable Risk: Pesticides in our Children's Food," was released, causing public outcry over the American food supply. Their target--the apple. The scare was short lived however, as the government and the industry provided the public with alternate facts and data on the abundance and safety of the American food supply, including apples. Jay Vroom is elected as NACA's fourth Pres.

1991 RISE(Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment[R]) was formed as an NACA partner group, in response to Congressional hearings on lawn care products. RISE represents the specialty, non-agricultural, pesticides industry.

1994 NACA moved its offices to the current site. In September, NACA is changed to the American Crop Protection Association (ACPA).

1995 In an effort to reform FDA's "Delaney" clause, ACPA took leadership roles in developing a media campaign within the Food Chain Coalition and initiated industry grassroots efforts. ACPA's expansion of the Ambassador Speakers Program resulted in numerous speaker placements nationwide. ARROW (Agricultural Regional Response to Water), a coalition involved in regional water issues, was created. The AgChem Alliance for Electronic Communication was merged with project RAPID to form a new entity, RAPID, Inc.

1996 FQPA was passed unanimously by the House and Senate and signed by President Clinton Aug. 3, eliminating the Delaney clause and strengthening U.S. food safety laws. ACPA's educational program for elementary students, "Benny Broccoli and His Buddies," was launched providing on-request educational aid packets to some 20,000 teachers nationwide.

1997 An in-house Biotechnology Committee was established, open to member and non-member company representation, and a full-time Exec Dir was hired for plant biotechnology activities.

1999 ACPA continued to participate in FIFRA preemption cases at state and federal levels, and worked to inform Congress of preemption importance. Led an industry coalition in responding to EPA's proposed changes in the Confidential Statement of Formula. Created a biotechnology law subcommittee. Organized and led a nationwide grassroots effort, including editorial board visits by farmers and local leaders to encourage Congressional support of legislation to ensure science-based implementation of FQPA. Successfully urged House committee hearings on the issue. Provided major share of technical expertise for comments to EPA by the FQPA Implementation Working Group. Helped establish the Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Working Group to secure expert assessment of concerns related to potential risk of Bt corn pollen to Monarch butterfly larvae. Represented U.S. industry interests before global bodies and developed a position on International Harmonization of Crop Protection Products.

2001 In June, the Global Crop Protection Federation changed its name to CropLife International. ACPA board voted to change its name to CropLife America (CLA), effective Jan. 1, 2002. The new names more accurately reflected the broadened responsibilities of both associations for all crop protection products, including plant biotechnology. Led a pesticide industry-grower coalition in successful efforts to prohibit EPA collection of $51 million in new tolerance fees, as well as $25 million/year in new registration fees. Completed an information kit on pest threats to children's health and distributed to the nation's public health community. Intervened to prevent a last minute settlement of a NRDC lawsuit against EPA that failed to include interests of CLA and other stakeholders and gained a court order for public comment on the settlement. Worked with The Endocrine Group in implementing EPA's EDSTAC advisory program and collaborated with government in development of a refined and scientific risk assessment model for drinking water exposures.

2002 CLA continued to pursue, in collaboration with ag allies, a federal lawsuit challenging EPA promulgation of science policies, including 99.9 percentile, 10-fold safety factor and cumulative risk assessment, and intervened in Endangered Species Act lawsuits. Completed CARES software for risk evaluation and successfully demonstrated it to EPA's Scientific Advisory Committee. Successfully lobbied in opposition to numerous anti-ag biotech state legislative bills. In cooperation with Ag Retailers Association, drafted stewardship standards for packaged and bulk storage facility management. Continued to advocate revision of EPA's Clean Water Act Total Maximum Daily Load Rule. Expanded business service clients to 14 with the addition of Ag Container Recycling Council and Ag Handlers Exposure Task Force. Helped defeat the first statewide ballot initiative of biotech food labeling (in OR) by a 71-29 margin.

2003 CLA chartered a new Strategic Oversight Council to provide leadership for issues management, consolidating the functions of its former policy council structure into one body. CLA continued its commitment to safe agriculture and food supply through chemical industry security and food safety forums, as homeland security took center stage on Capitol Hill. After much negotiation with activist groups and EPA, it finalized the industry's pesticide fees legislation. The legislation allows EPA to continue its work in registering pesticides while also being held accountable to certain performance measures. In close cooperation with USTR and major farm and food groups, they tackled a number of international trade issues and state ballot initiatives around this crop technology.

2004 The newly-created Strategic Oversight Council (SOC) and the CropLife America Board successfully implemented a complete restructuring of CLA and the issue management process. CLA designates five key issue areas of concentration: opposition research and media monitoring; biomonitoring; challenging unfounded claims of the pro-organic lobby; communications outreach to members and the public; and, addressing conservation issues in the U. S. and abroad. CLA formed a coalition that successfully addressed the "fee-for-service" issue for speeding up the registration and re-registration process for pesticides at EPA, resulting in the passage of the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act (PRIA).

2005 Many of the public policy challenges that CLA faced in 2005 were related to the "Precautionary Principle" as advanced by European environmental philosophy. Anti-technology activists were using this belief to try to make public policy through the court system. Their goal was to attain outright bans of the industry's products and technology. CLA was fully engaged in modernizing efforts involving the Endangered Species Act and in the regulatory debate regarding the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination system permitting of the Clean Water Act and pesticide use. CLA conducted its first legislative rally on Capitol Hill for CLA Board members. The successful "Doing a World of Good" communications outreach program was unveiled and helped acquaint policy makers and the public with the many societal benefits of pesticides for production agriculture and pest control applications.

2006 The SOC strove to prioritize the issues of most concern to CLA members. In all issue areas, emphasis was placed on maintaining a close dialogue with member companies and the policy makers who shape the ground rules under which the industry operated. To keep in touch with the opinion of member company employees, CLA conducted an industry-wide survey of employee perception of the current and emerging issues confronting the industry. The Food Quality Protection Act observed its 10-year anniversary of passage and EPA completed its decade-long review of some 10,000 pesticide residue limits.

2007 CLA helped engineer passage of the reauthorization of PRIA II, the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act first passed in 2004. EPA was strongly encouraged by CLA and member companies to fulfill its pledge to propose a recycling rule that would make it mandatory for all pesticide manufacturers and distributors to fund a free recycling program for pesticide containers. CLA followed its comprehensive member company employee survey of 2006 with a second polling to assess progress in providing increased member value. CLA worked closely with the Agribusiness Security Working Group and the Department of Homeland Security to protect agricultural interests in promulgation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard rule.