Which regulatory body oversees the general pesticide application and registration?

The oversight of general pesticide application and registration primarily falls under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This federal agency is responsible for ensuring that pesticides are safe for human health and the environment before they can be registered for use.

While the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) plays a critical role at the state level in California and may oversee specific aspects of pesticide application within that state, it operates under the broader framework established by the EPA. Therefore, although DPR has specific enforcement and regulation responsibilities, it does not have the overarching authority for general pesticide registration and application that the EPA does.

The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) is involved with agricultural practices and regulation but does not specifically oversee pesticide registration and application in the way the EPA does. FIFRA, or the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, is legislation that governs pesticide registration and use but is not a regulatory body itself; rather, it provides the framework within which the EPA operates.

Thus, the correct answer regarding the primary regulatory authority overseeing general pesticide application and registration is the EPA.