EPA Failed to Assure Safety of Seresto Collars – Truth about Pet Food

March 8, 2024 Kar-Bay-Inc

This post is a rare exception to topics we typically discuss. The regulatory failure involved was/is significant for pet owners to be aware of to protect their pets.

Recently a lawsuit against Seresto flea collars was settled for $15 million. Pet owners would be eligible for “up to $13” for every collar purchased, and “If your pet died in a manner ‘allegedly related’ to wearing a Seresto product, you’re eligible for $300 plus medical costs plus fees for burial or cremation.”

Around the same time the lawsuit was settled, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Inspector General released a damning report stating the EPA failed to abide by legal requirements of pesticide products, putting pets at risk.

The Inspector General Report stated:

“from 2012 through 2022, the EPA received more than 100,000 incident reports related to Seresto pet collars.”

“The EPA’s response to reported pesticide incidents involving Seresto pet collars has not provided assurance that they can be used without posing unreasonable adverse effects to the environment, including pets.”

“…it has not adhered to the pesticide registration review process for the active ingredients flumethrin and imidacloprid in the Seresto pet collars.“

“The Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) did not conduct or publish domestic animal risk assessments, which it had committed to doing in the work plans for these two pesticides;“

“…continues to use an inadequate 1998 companion animal safety study (Guideline 870.7200);“

“…lacks standard operating procedures and a measurable standard to help determine when domestic animal pesticide products pose unreasonable adverse effects to the environment, as required by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.”

“Additionally, the EPA’s Pesticide Incident Reporting System and reporting process do not capture adequate data that the EPA needs to assess unreasonable adverse effects of pet products.”

“Furthermore, according to a long-tenured EPA scientist we interviewed, the EPA’s 1998 Guideline 870.7200 for companion animal safety studies is inadequate, and the OPP lacks standard operating procedures and a methodology to help determine when pet products may pose unreasonable adverse effects to the environment.”

In other words, the EPA appeared to approve this flea and tick product based on antiquated safety standards that did not protect the pets the product was used on – and basically ignored for years the incident reports the agency received on the collar, again not protecting the pets the product was used on.

The safety of pet products is last on the list of concerns for most regulatory agencies. The FDA gives pet food permission to violate federal law allowing waste ingredients to be disposed of into pet foods (allowing illegal diseased animals and animals that have died other than by slaughter to be used in pet food). State authorities follow FDA’s lead again allowing waste to be disposed of into pet food with no warning or disclosure to consumers. And now we get confirmation the EPA followed the same ‘who cares’ attitude regarding pet flea and tick products.

The Office of Inspector General report gave us this explanation to why the EPA’s handling of the Seresto collar was investigated:

“As a result of the March 2021 media coverage, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is now the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy launched an investigation.“

This tells us that if we (pet owners) want regulatory authorities to be held accountable for their regulation of pet products, we need to have loud and persistent voices. Members of Congress need to hear from us again and again and again, until they listen.

Our thanks to the Office of Inspector General for holding EPA accountable and thank you to the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Accountability for insisting on an investigation.

To read the full Inspector General report, Click Here.

Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
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