The approvals arrived after Kyle Kunkler, a former lobbyist for the American Soybean Association, was installed as deputy assistant administrator for pesticides. The soybean association had lobbied in favour of both new herbicides through the public docket. They mark the third and fourth PFAS pesticide clearances under the current administration, following cyclobutrifluram and isocycloseram.

Regulators abroad have already drawn harder lines. Denmark has banned diflufenican over its contribution to groundwater contamination, and epyrifenacil has never been cleared for use in Europe.