Mill Assessment Study

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The Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) receives a majority of its resources through the DPR Fund—80% of which is derived from the mill assessment that is levied on the sale of registered pesticides at the point of first sale into the state. The mill assessment supports DPR’s mission to protect human health and the environment by enabling the department to regulate pesticide sales and use, foster reduced-risk pest management, and conduct enforcement and compliance activities, health and human assessments, environmental monitoring, and worker safety protection. The mill assessment has not changed in over 18 years, since 2004.

The DPR Fund is experiencing an ongoing structural imbalance as a result of the continued expansion of programs and priorities to achieve its mission. As the DPR Fund balance has been depleted over time, DPR has faced greater challenges in managing the structural imbalance.

The 2021-2022 state budget allocated $1 million over two years for DPR to fund a study to identify sustainable long-term funding for DPR while accelerating the transition to safer, sustainable pest management practices across California.

In February 2022, DPR entered into contract with Crowe LLP to conduct an independent study on DPR’s mill assessment, engage and consult with DPR stakeholders throughout various stages of the study, and issue a report outlining proposed mill options.

The study on the mill assessment examined:

  • The existing structure and rate of the mill assessment;
  • Current and future funding needs for DPR, including strategies for linking how revenues are collected to DPR’s broader mission objectives;
  • Existing County Agricultural Commissioners’ funding associated with mill-related responsibilities and future needs;
  • Detailed options that incentivize the use of safer sustainable pest management practices across the state of California; and
  • Current and future revenues produced by proposed structures and rates to provide long-term sustainable funding that allows DPR to continue to fulfill its mission.

In August 2023, Crowe LLP released their Final Recommendations and Implementation Plan, PDF, detailing their study findings and mill assessment suggestions.

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Mill Assessment Study Recommendations Released August 2023

Crowe LLP released a Final Recommendations and Implementation Plan, PDF on August 15, 2023, to provide their final recommendations for DPR’s mill assessment. The final recommendations and proposed implementation plan detailed in this report reflect extensive research, analysis, and stakeholder consultation conducted over the course of the 17-month study.

As part of the study, Crowe released the following key materials which supported the development of their final recommendations:

Study Resources