Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/tag/monsanto/)
The federal agency said it is “extremely concerned” about damage in 2021, just one year after dicamba was re-registered for five years. The letters sent to chemical companies also alleged they have not shared all relevant information with the agency.
The lawsuit raises the question of what’s next for specialty crop farmers, many of whom have said dicamba damage limits their ability to grow their products and make a living.
As one would expect, Bader Farms v. Monsanto Company – as the first dicamba-related case to go to trial – was about as high profile as it gets. Especially after the jury punched Monsanto right between the eyes in awarding Bader Farms $265 million for dicamba damage to the farm's peach orchards.
The pesticides glyphosate and dicamba, both in products produced by Bayer (formerly Monsanto) have made headlines in the past year as lawsuits mount against the company for damages from these products.
In a normal year we would be debating several worthy agricultural stories as the most important. We certainly would be taking a hard look at the continuing dicamba herbicide saga. 2020 saw the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit de-register dicamba formulations in the middle of the growing season from Bayer AG, Corteva, and BASF because of shoddy regulatory control at the Environmental Protection Agency:
Internal company records show the companies knew crop damage from their weed killer would be extensive. They sold it anyway.
A jury awarded Bader Farms $250 million in punitive damages after finding Monsanto and BASF knew dicamba would harm crops. A judge reduced the amount.
The American Soybean Association and the Plains Cotton Growers contend the EPA overstepped in its new restrictions on the weed killer dicamba.
There’s going to be lots of questions from farmers and concerned environmental groups surrounding Bayer’s new dicamba formulation. Certainly Bayer doesn’t want to be put through the wringer if it can help it.
Bayer has reached a $400 million settlement with farmers whose crops have been damaged by drift from the herbicide dicamba, the company announced Wednesday. The settlement was announced alongside the company’s $10 billion settlement over claims that the herbicide Roundup causes cancer.