Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4
Inter-Regional Research Project Number 4 (IR-4 Project, also referred to as the Minor Crop Pest Management Program) has been established since 1963 by the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. IR-4 works in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency to assist in the collection of residue and efficacy data in support of the registration or reregistration of minor use pesticides and the determination of tolerances for residues of minor use chemicals in or on raw agricultural commodities. IR-4's mission is to facilitate registration of sustainable pest management technology for fruits, vegetables, ornamental plants, and other specialty crops in the United States. While most of the minor uses investigated are small enough that it is not profitable for private business to establish the acceptability of a pesticide for individual specialty crops, collectively the specialty crops covered by the project make up almost half of U.S. agricultural crop production and over $40 billion in sales.