LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on California banning a pesticide that has been linked to brain damage in children (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

The president of a citrus association that represents about 5,000 growers has expressed disappointment that a widely used pesticide is being banned in California after next year.

But California Citrus Mutual President Casey Creamer said Wednesday that state officials had begun to place so many restrictions on chlorpyrifos use that it was getting harder to use anyway.

Environmental officials link the pesticide to brain damage in children and to other illnesses. Under a deal with the pesticide’s manufacturer, all California sales of chlorpyrifos will end on Feb. 6, 2020.

Creamer says he believes the pesticide can be applied to crops without harming anyone when various safety measures are strictly followed.

In announcing the ban, state environmental officials say $5 million is being budgeted to help growers and manufacturers develop safer alternatives to chlorpyrifos.

Creamer says he appreciates that the state is willing to partner with farmers.

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4 p.m.

California environmental officials say a popular agricultural pesticide they say has been linked to brain damage in children will be banned after next year under an agreement reached with its manufacturer.

Under the deal announced Wednesday, all California sales of chlorpyrifos will end on Feb. 6, 2020.

Farmers will have until the end of 2020 to exhaust their supplies.

The pesticide is used on numerous crops in the nation’s largest agriculture-producing state, including alfalfa, almonds, citrus, cotton, grapes and walnuts.

State regulators say the pesticide has been linked to health defects in children, including brain impairment.

Officials say they are budgeting $5 million to help manufacturers develop a safer alternative.

The pesticide’s manufacturer, Corteva Agriscience, says it reached the agreement “in the best interests of the affected growers.”

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