JUNE 22, 2022:
Agriculture groups including the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, and National Cotton Council issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to deny the writ of certiorari petition to hear the case Monsanto v. Hardeman, which pertains to state glyphosate health warnings:
“We are disappointed the Supreme Court has decided not to hear this case, which has significant implications for our global food supply and science-based regulation. With the conflict in Ukraine threatening food security around the world and the persistent dangers posed by climate change, too much is on the line to allow the emergence of an unscientific patchwork of state pesticide labels that would threaten grower access to tools needed for productive, sustainable farming. We will be discussing the implications of the court’s announcement and will determine what reforms may be needed to ensure a patchwork of state labels does not jeopardize grower access to these vital tools or science-based pesticide regulation.”
On May 23, 2022, the groups sent a letter signed by 54 agricultural groups to President Biden urging him to withdraw a Solicitor General’s brief submitted to the Supreme Court advising against taking up the case. In a disturbing departure from previous bipartisan administrative policy, the Solicitor General’s brief argues federal pesticide registration and labeling requirements do not preclude states from imposing additional labeling requirements, even if those requirements run counter to federal findings. The groups will be considering today’s decision and what additional reforms may be needed to prevent a patchwork of state labeling requirements from disrupting commerce and undermining science-based pesticide regulation.
MAY 24, 2022:
In a letter to President Biden (May 23, 2022), 54 agricultural groups expressed concern with a recent amicus brief submitted by the U.S. Solicitor General to the Supreme Court. The brief advises the court against taking up a case regarding pesticide labels.
The groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation and major U.S. commodity organizations, called on the president to swiftly withdraw the brief. They warned the new policy would set a dangerous precedent that threatens the science-based regulatory process. The groups are worried the new policy, along with having environmental impacts, could ultimately hinder the ability of U.S. farmers to help meet growing global food needs intensified by the invasion of Ukraine.
At question is whether California can require a cancer warning label for the popular herbicide glyphosate when thousands of studies, decades of scientific consensus, and numerous global regulatory bodies—including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency—agree the herbicide is not a carcinogen.
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