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Ag in the AM: Coalition Challenges New Herbicides

A coalition of farmers and food companies is threatening legal action to force the government to look into new weed-killing chemical combinations
Pesticides

WASHINGTON, DC – A coalition of more than 2000 farmers and food companies is threatening legal action to force the government to look into proposed bio-tech crops which use new weed-killing chemical combinations.

Chemical companies are introducing the genetically-altered crops and the herbicides like “2,4-d” for Dow Chemicals and “dicamba” for Monsanto.

The companies say the new herbicides are needed by corn, soybean, and cotton farmers who are finding their current weed-fighting chemicals, like “Roundup”, are becoming less effective.  But neighborong farmers have filed lawsuits in the past saying the spray from the new chemicals are ruining their farms and trees.

Vegetable and fruit farmers are most angered.

The “Save Our Crops” coalition is calling on the USDA to conduct environmental impact studies on the new crops and herbicides before letting farmers put them on their fields.

(Information from the “Chicago Tribune” through Reuters: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-crops-petitionbre83h0l0-20120418,0,5889068.story)

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