Bilingual Labeling

EPA is publishing new and updating existing resources to help pesticide registrants with the translation of pesticide labeling into Spanish. The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5) requires key parts of pesticide product labeling to be translated into Spanish. These new resources will foster better understanding and compliance with labeling instructions.

• Introduction to Bilingual Labeling
• Implementation
• Tracking
• Deadlines
• Future Updates to the Spanish Translation Guide
• Exceptions

• Accessing Spanish Pesticide Labels
• Spanish Translation Guide for Pesticide Labeling
• Bilingual Labeling Q and A
• Bilingual Labeling Tracking and Reporting
• PRIA 5 Implementation

Introduction to Bilingual Labeling

The Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022 (PRIA 5), enacted on December 29, 2022, amended the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) requiring Spanish language translation for sections of end-use product labeling where translation is available in the EPA Spanish Translation Guide for Pesticide Labeling (or Spanish Translation Guide). Beginning on December 29, 2025, product labels on restricted use pesticide products and agricultural use products with the highest toxicity (category 1) are required to bear Spanish language translations for key parts of the labeling. Following this first phase, pesticide labels must include these translations on a rolling schedule depending on the type of product and the toxicity category, with the most hazardous and toxic pesticide products requiring translation first. All pesticide labels must have translations by 2030. The translations must appear on the pesticide product container or must be provided through a hyperlink or other readily accessible electronic method.

EPA wants to facilitate the transition to bilingual labeling by supporting pesticide users, pesticide applicators and farmworkers to make pesticides safer for humans and the environment.  The agency intends to update these website resources as various PRIA 5 requirements and deadlines are met, and new information is available.

Implementation

FIFRA, as amended by PRIA 5, requires bilingual labeling changes to be implemented through a non-notification procedure (PRN 98-10). The non-notification process means that a product’s labeling may be updated with Spanish translations without notifying EPA (or EPA reviewing the labeling), if that is the ONLY change being made to the labeling. The Spanish text must be a true and accurate translation of the English text. (Note: Both English and Spanish versions of the labeling, or a link to the Spanish translation, must appear on the container. Spanish text may be used on all or part of the labeling.)

Non-notification labeling changes are not systematically tracked by EPA.

Tracking

PRIA 5 requires that EPA develop, implement, and make publicly available a plan for tracking the adoption of bilingual labeling.

EPA developed and published its tracking plan in public docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2024-0438 and in attachments to the associated Information Collection Request (docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2025-0049).

EPA will track adoption of bilingual labeling via MyPeST, an EPA system where registrants can check the status of pending applications and see due dates and projected completion dates for various actions submitted to the agency.

Registrants will check a box in MyPeST next to each of their products that includes bilingual labeling. Registrants can check a separate box to indicate that a product is not required to include bilingual labeling because that product is not released for shipment. MyPeST also displays product information to help registrants determine their products’ bilingual labeling compliance dates.

For more details on tracking, including instructions for registrants, due dates for reporting, and data on adoption of bilingual labeling, please see the Bilingual Labeling Tracking and Reporting Webpage

Deadlines

PRIA 5 provides deadlines for bilingual labeling to appear on pesticide products. These deadlines are established on a rolling schedule from December 29, 2025, to December 29, 2030, with translations for the most hazardous and toxic pesticide products required first. The deadlines are as follows:

Future Updates to the Spanish Translation Guide 

PRIA 5 also sets out requirements in the case of future updates to the Spanish Translation Guide. If EPA updates the Spanish Translation Guide, PRIA 5 requires that the Agency notify registrants within 10 days of publishing the updates. In the case of updates to the Spanish Translation Guide, PRIA 5 also requires that registrants update their bilingual labeling within specified timeframes. For agricultural use pesticide products, registrants must update their product labeling with the new information within one year after the date of publication of the updated Spanish Translation Guide or the latest EPA approved label (whichever is earlier).

For antimicrobial and non-agricultural use products, registrants must update their product labeling with the new information within two years after the date of publication of the updated Spanish Translation Guide or the latest EPA approved label (whichever is earlier).

Exceptions

For antimicrobial pesticide products and non-agricultural/non-RUP pesticide products, Spanish labeling requirements may be satisfied by providing a link to safety data sheets (SDS) written in Spanish in lieu of including a translation or a link to translated sections of pesticide labeling. This can be done via scannable technology or other electronic methods readily accessible on the product label.