Pesticides permitted for use in Falmouth under the new ordinance are on shelves with a green strip in the the garden center Allen, Sterling & Lothrop. Contributed / Shawn Brannigan

Retailers of pesticide and fertilizers in Falmouth will encounter new regulations starting on April 1.

This change follows the approval of the pesticide and fertilizer ordinance, which was approved by the Town Council on Feb. 24. The ordinance states that retailers that sell products for lawn, garden and landscape applications must clearly mark products that are permitted for use in Falmouth with prominent signage.

In relation to in-store products, the ordinance bans the use of all pesticides with neonicotinoids. It also bans any non-synthetic substance listed as “prohibited” on the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances and only permits synthetic substances marked as “allowed” on the list.

Falmouth’s Conservation Commission has been working on the ordinance and started from collecting data in 2015, to creating an ordinance in 2020 and then updating that version this year. Over the years, its public outreach has included workshops, factsheets and speaking with business owners. However, with the ordinance finally passed, the commission and town staff faced a tight turnaround of a little over a month to inform retailers and homeowners about this change.

“We really have to ramp up. There’s a lot of items which we can teach homeowners about. We have to teach a lot of people, but we need to start,” said Conservation Commission Chair Nancy Lightbody.

Some retailers have already changed their displays in accordance with the ordinance. At the family-run garden center Allen, Sterling & Lothrop, the pesticide and fertilizers that will be permitted in Falmouth after April 1 have already been labeled. General Manager Shawn Brannigan marked several shelves in the store with green strips and a sign stating Falmouth residents may only use the products on the labeled shelves. Complying with the ordinance was easy, he said.

As for the impact of the ordinance on the small business, Brannigan said he doubted it would affect sales much. If the ordinance was passed as it was originally written – prohibiting the sale of the certain pesticides and fertilizers – it might have closed them, he said, as Allen, Sterling & Lothrop sells the chemicals wholesale across the state.

Brannigan said that in the process of drafting and refining the ordinance throughout 2024, the Ordinance Committee was receptive to these concerns.

“The Ordinance Committee (and us) worked very well together. They listened to our requests and followed most of them. And anything that was going to have a huge impact, they adjusted,” said Brannigan.

The Ace Hardware in Falmouth is also prepared for the ordinance, sorting the pesticides and fertilizers that are permitted onto designated shelves. Store owners said they are not expecting any financial impact of the ordinance for their business.

Skillins Greenhouses in Falmouth labeled the majority of the pesticides and fertilizers on their shelves as permitted for use last week. Over the past decade, the company has moved toward selling mostly organic products, with 90% of their pesticides and fertilizers now organic and falling within the ordinance’s approved list, said Skillins President Lee Skillin.

“It just seemed to be the more friendly thing for most gardeners,” said Skillin. “Generally speaking, it’s already what our customers kind of demanded.”

Skillin said he was also aware of the ordinance as it developed and anticipated this change.

“(Lightbody) and the Conservation (Commission) was great and keeping me informed along the process and came to us with questions and also with answers,” said Skillin.

While many small businesses were in conversation with the Conservation Commission during the drafting of the ordinance, at previous Town Council discussions of the ordinance, councilors were most concerned about the ability of nationwide chains, such as Walmart, to comply in Falmouth. One concern raised in December was the time for a big retailer to get corporate approval of any signage. As of March 10, no managers contacted at the Falmouth Walmart could say they were aware of the ordinance and its requirements for retailers.

Working with the Conservation Commission, town staff provided formal notice of the ordinance to retailers as well as pesticide and fertilizer applicators, said Assistant Town Manager Maggie Edson. She said additional communications will come following a second vote on the ordinance on March 24.

The Town Council will vote again on the ordinance to meet statutory requirements to provide notice of the vote to the Maine Board of Pesticides Control.