The National Corn Growers Association, St. Louis, MO, encourages all farmers planting Bt corn borer-resistant corn to implement insect resistant management (IRM) refuges to ensure they meet the EPA's IRM requirements. Growers who do not plant proper refuges along with their Bt corn risk losing access to this technology.

Under the Compliance Assurance Program (CAP), an EPA-approved awareness and compliance program implemented in 2002, those who do not meet IRM refuge requirements in two consecutive years can be denied access to Bt corn borer-resistant corn in the third year. As a CAP requirement, registrants of Bt corn are responsible for evaluating the extent to which growers are adhering to IRM requirements through on-farm visits and an annual survey.

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