05
Dec
Upcoming EPA Review of Nitrates in Waterways Raises Health and Environmental Questions About Synthetic Nitrogen Fertilizer Use. In a quiet reversal of a 2018 Trump administration decision, EPA is resuming an evaluation of the health impacts of nitrate in water, reflecting the long-standing and mounting evidence of synthetic nitrogen’s adverse effects on human health and the environment, particularly in vulnerable communities.
Posted in Agriculture, Alternatives/Organics, California, Cancer, Climate, Climate Change, contamination, Disease/Health Effects, Drinking Water, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Fertilizer, Groundwater, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Livestock, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nitrates, Nitrites, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Synthetic Fertilizer, Thyroid Disease, Water, Water Regulation | No Comments »
26
Jul
(Beyond Pesticides, July 26, 2018) A legal complaint filed by a Kansas farmer claims industry giant, Monsanto, knew its new dicamba-formulated product would harm other crops, but marketed and sold it anyway, damaging thousands of acres of crops. The lawsuit, filed by 4-R Farms based in Corning Kansas, lost over 200 acres of soybeans. This is the latest in a string of lawsuits Monsanto is facing. Farmers in Arkansas, Missouri, and elsewhere have been hit with crop losses as a result of the dicamba damage. Advocates and victims of damage argue that Monsanto places profits ahead of possible damage to crops when it markets seeds resistant to a powerful weedkiller before making a less volatile herbicide available. This, according to the lawsuit filed in court. The petition, filed last week, could be the catalyst for a class action lawsuit of Kansas farmers against Monsanto, which faces a growing docket of legal challenges. The lawsuit also names chemical company BASF as a co-defendant. BASF is facing its own mounting pile of lawsuits over dicamba. The lawsuit requests unspecified damages and a trial by a federal jury in Topeka. Monsanto marketed its new line of dicamba products, Xtend, to go hand in hand with […]
Posted in Agriculture, BASF, Dicamba, Genetic Engineering, Kansas, Monsanto, Pesticide Drift | No Comments »
23
Oct
(Beyond Pesticides, October 23, 2014) Lawsuit filed against Environmental Protection Agency for approval of 2,4-D use on genetically engineered corn, soy crops in six Midwest states.A coalition of farmers and environmental groups filed a lawsuit to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today on behalf of six Midwest states where a toxic herbicide cocktail called Dow’s Enlist Duo, a blend of glyphosate and 2,4-D, was approved on October 15 for use on genetically engineered (GE) crops. Approved for use on GE corn and soybeans that are engineered to withstand repeated applications of the herbicide, the creation of 2,4-D-resistant crops and EPA’s approval of Enlist Duo is the result of an overuse of glyphosate, an ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup. The misuse resulted in an infestation of glyphosate-resistant super weeds which can now be legally combatted with the more potent 2,4-D. Dow Chemical has presented 2,4-D resistant crops as a quick fix to the problem, but independent scientists, as well as USDA analysis, predict that the Enlist crop system will only foster more weed resistance. “The toxic treadmill has to stop,” said Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides. “EPA and USDA cannot continue to ignore the history, science, and public […]
Posted in 2,4-D, Agriculture, Announcements, Arkansas, Chemicals, Corporations, Dow Chemical, Farmworkers, Glyphosate, Kansas, Litigation, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, State/Local, Tennessee | No Comments »
11
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 11, 2013) Several different lawsuits have been filed against the agrichemical giant Monsanto after the recent discovery of illegal Genetically Engineered (GE) glyphosate-resistant wheat plants  in an Oregon wheat field. The GE wheat was first found in early May when field workers in eastern Oregon noticed a volunteer patch of wheat that survived a dousing with glyphosate. Ernst Barnes, a Kansas wheat farmer, brought the first lawsuit against Monsanto. Soon after, a separate lawsuit was filed by the Center for Food Safety on behalf of Pacific Northwest wheat farmers. The lawsuits allege that the presence of GE wheat crops spurred top wheat importers, such as Japan, South Korea, and the European Union, to enact damaging restrictions on American wheat. These restrictions could lead to lower wheat imports and will cause devastating economic effects to wheat farmers. While the world’s largest wheat importer, Egypt, has not signaled it would stop importing U.S. wheat, Japan has cancelled its order to buy U.S. western white wheat. Meanwhile, the European Union has prepared to begin testing shipments for the Roundup Ready gene. In 2012, U.S. exported wheat was valued at $18.1 billion, with 90% of Oregon’s wheat sent abroad. Since 1994, […]
Posted in Agriculture, Contamination, Corporations, Genetic Engineering, Kansas, Litigation, Monsanto, National Politics, State/Local, Washington | No Comments »
20
Apr
(Beyond Pesticides, April 20, 2010) Communities from six states filed a lawsuit last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Swiss chemical giant Syngenta AG and its American counterpart Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc., the makers of Atrazine. The 16 municipalities in the states of Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, and Iowa want Syngenta to pay for the expensive carbon filters needed to remove atrazine from their drinking water supply. The United States’ largest private water utility, American Water Company, has also joined the suit, representing 28 additional communities. Atrazine is used to control broad leaf weeds and annual grasses in crops, golf courses, and even residential lawns. It is used extensively for broad leaf weed control in corn. The herbicide does not cling to soil particles, but washes into surface water or leaches into groundwater, and then finds its way into municipal drinking water. It has been linked to a myriad of health problems in humans including disruption of hormone activity, birth defects, and cancer. Atrazine is also a major threat to wildlife. It harms the immune, hormone, and reproductive systems of aquatic animals. Fish and amphibians exposed to atrazine can exhibit hermaphrodism. Male […]
Posted in Atrazine, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Ohio, Syngenta, Water | No Comments »
26
Jun
(Beyond Pesticides, June 26, 2008) Over 7,500 acres of winter wheat in 15 Kansas counties were sprayed improperly with the fungicide Quilt, forcing the Kansas Department of Agriculture to put an embargo on harvestable wheat from these fields pending further tests. Farmers are legally required to wait 45 days between spraying Quilt and harvesting wheat, but this spring’s wet weather encouraged many to ignore the rules. The problem was discovered during a paperwork check of custom applicators, which revealed that some fields had been sprayed as recently as early June. Quilt, manufactured by Syngenta and registered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2003, is a combination of the two active ingredients azoxystrobin and propiconazole. Propinconazole is a fungicide and antimicrobial with registered uses on food and feed crops, turf and ornamentals, as well as wood and material preservation. It is estimated that 1.7 million acres of wheat alone is treated with propinconazole each year. Azoxystrobin was first conditionally registered with the EPA in 1997 for use on turf. Information on the usage of the combination of these two fungicides is unavailable because of the recent registrations. Unfortunately, the USDA has cut funding for pesticide reporting (see Daily News of […]
Posted in Azoxystrobin, Kansas, Propiconazole | No Comments »
