{"id":55770,"date":"2024-03-27T01:01:15","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T09:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/?p=55770"},"modified":"2025-04-28T15:03:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T22:03:16","slug":"inside-bayers-state-by-state-efforts-to-stop-pesticide-lawsuits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/03\/27\/inside-bayers-state-by-state-efforts-to-stop-pesticide-lawsuits\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Bayer\u2019s State-by-State Efforts to Stop Pesticide&nbsp;Lawsuits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe class=\"lazyload\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;\" data-src=\"https:\/\/narrations.ad-auris.com\/widget\/civil-eats\/inside-bayers-state-by-state-efforts-to-stop-pesticide-lawsuits\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b data-stringify-type=\"bold\"><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">January 29, 2025 update:<\/i><\/b><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">\u00a0Iowa state legislators reintroduced the bill, now called\u00a0<\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\"><a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislation\/BillBook?ga=91&amp;ba=SSB1051\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislation\/BillBook?ga=91&amp;ba=SSB1051\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Senate Study Bill 1051<\/a><\/i><i data-stringify-type=\"italic\">, that would shield Bayer and other pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits based on claims their products caused cancer and other illnesses.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><strong>April 1, 2024 update:<\/strong> Two days after Civil Eats reported on this matter, a group of senators<a href=\"https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/f\/?id=0000018e-9249-d931-afcf-9e5fbd240000\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/subscriber.politicopro.com\/f\/?id%3D0000018e-9249-d931-afcf-9e5fbd240000&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1712089818019000&amp;usg=AOvVaw28DyBWqwWKJzp9NOStudce\"> signed a letter<\/a> addressed to Senate leaders opposing &#8220;all efforts to preempt state and local authority to regulate pesticides.&#8221;<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> On TikTok, Iowa State Representative Megan Srinivas is angry. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>\u201cTo me,\u201d she says, pointing at herself with both hands, her eyebrows raised, \u201cIowa\u2019s farmers matter more than corporate interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"pulled-sidebar pulled-sidebar-right\"><div class=\"pulled-sidebar-title\">Chemical\u00a0Capture: The Power and\u00a0Impact of the Pesticide Industry<\/div><p>Read all the stories in <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/chemical-capture\">our series<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Overview: <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/03\/27\/chemical-capture-the-power-and-impact-of-the-pesticide-industry\/\">Chemical Capture: The Power and Impact of the Pesticide Industry<\/a><br \/>\nHow the agrichemical industry is shaping public information about the toxicity of pesticides, how they\u2019re being used, and the policies that impact the health of all Americans.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/03\/27\/inside-bayers-state-by-state-efforts-to-stop-pesticide-lawsuits\/\">Inside Bayer\u2019s State-by-State Efforts to Stop Pesticide Lawsuits<\/a><br \/>\nAs the agrichemical giant lays groundwork to fend off Roundup litigation, its use of a playbook for building influence in farm state legislatures has the potential to benefit pesticide companies nationwide.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/07\/09\/are-companies-using-carbon-markets-to-sell-more-pesticides\">Are Companies Using Carbon Markets to Sell More Pesticides?<\/a><br \/>\nMany programs meant to help farmers address climate change are now owned by companies that sell chemicals, which could boost practices that depend on pesticides rather than those that reduce their use.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/10\/30\/why-farmers-use-harmful-insecticides-they-may-not-need\/\">Why Farmers Use Harmful Insecticides They May Not Need<\/a><br \/>\nNeonicotinoids coat nearly all the corn and soybean seeds available for planting. Agrichemical companies have designed it that way.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2024\/12\/18\/why-are-pesticide-companies-fighting-state-laws-to-address-pfas\/\">Why Are Pesticide Companies Fighting State Efforts to Address PFAS?<\/a><br \/>\nIn Maine, Maryland, and beyond, the industry is using a \u2018grassroots\u2019 network of farmers, lobbyists, and other tactics to slow legislators\u2019 attempts to get forever chemicals out of food and water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Srinivas, a Democrat, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@megan4iowa\/video\/7332964381812067626?_r=1&amp;_t=8jh78hP8mWw\">posted the video<\/a> on February 7 to draw attention to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislation\/BillBook?ga=90&amp;ba=HSB646\">a bill<\/a> that was just starting to make its way through the statehouse. If passed, the legislation could prevent individuals who use pesticides from suing manufacturers based on the argument that the manufacturer should have warned them the products could cause cancer or another illness.<\/p>\n<p>Srinivas is a physician, and one specific concern added to her outrage. Less than a year earlier, the Iowa Cancer Registry <a href=\"https:\/\/shri.public-health.uiowa.edu\/2023\/02\/28\/cancer-in-iowa-2023-report-celebrates-50-years-of-cancer-research\/\">released data<\/a> showing Iowa now has the second highest cancer rate in the country, after Kentucky, and is the only state where rates significantly increased between 2015 and 2019. For the first time, researchers at <a href=\"https:\/\/canceriowa.org\/iowa-cancer-plan\/\">the Iowa Cancer Consortium<\/a> have a plan to evaluate whether the <a href=\"https:\/\/investigatemidwest.org\/2023\/12\/22\/we-cant-sit-back-amid-polluted-water-and-climbing-cancer-rates-iowa-eyes-farm-chemicals\/\">incredible volume<\/a> of weed- and bug-killers used in the state is a contributing factor (although an annual report released at the end of February <a href=\"https:\/\/investigatemidwest.org\/2024\/03\/21\/new-report-sparks-questions-and-controversy-over-possible-causes-for-iowa-cancer-crisis\/\">focused more on high rates of binge drinking<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>However, while other states have seen a flurry of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/advisor\/legal\/product-liability\/roundup-lawsuit-update\/\">more than 100,000 lawsuits<\/a> brought by individuals claiming Roundup\u2014the most widely used commercial product that contains the weedkiller glyphosate\u2014had caused their cancers, Iowa stands apart. Especially in agriculture, most people trust the safety of pesticides, locals say, and Roundup is the most common and coveted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s still that culture of, \u2018It\u2019s only Roundup,\u2019\u201d said Rob Faux, an Iowa farmer and the communications manager for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.panna.org\/\">Pesticide Action Network North America<\/a> (PANNA). \u201cThey see it as low-risk . . . and there is a latent fear that glyphosate will be taken away. The standard response we get from legislators is, \u2018Well, you know, those are frivolous lawsuits and glyphosate\u2019s safe.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s a sentiment that Bayer Crop Science can use to its advantage.<\/p>\n<p>Bayer purchased Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, in 2018. Ever since, the world\u2019s now second-largest farm chemical company has been steadily executing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bayer.com\/en\/roundup-litigation-five-point-plan\">a five-point plan<\/a> to fight back against the aforementioned lawsuits.<\/p>\n<p>Now, insiders say it\u2019s using the outsized sway it holds among the public and elected officials in agricultural states to quietly execute a new strategy: Pass laws, state by state, that take away farmers\u2019 and other individuals\u2019 ability to sue if they get sick.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would argue that this is the sixth prong of their plan,\u201d said Jonathan Oppenheimer, the government relations director at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahoconservation.org\/\">Idaho Conservation League<\/a> (ICL), where he\u2019s been working with a coalition of groups to fight <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/sessioninfo\/2024\/legislation\/S1245\/\">an identical bill<\/a> that is also being pushed by Bayer.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s written in invisible ink.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For example, when the Iowa bill was first put forward, \u201cthe only lobbyists who were paying attention were Bayer\u2019s lobbyists,\u201d Faux said, \u201cso you can kind of put two and two together.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-image-caption align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/24037-chemical-capture-pesticide-companies-policy-health-safety-legislation-series-lead-2-Iowa-Idaho-pesticide-bills.png\" rel=\"lightbox\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/24037-chemical-capture-pesticide-companies-policy-health-safety-legislation-series-lead-2-Iowa-Idaho-pesticide-bills.png\" alt=\"comparing the iowa and idaho bills with identical language\"><\/a><div class=\"post-caption\"><p>The bills introduced in Iowa and Idaho include some identical text, as highlighted here.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Starting in the Iowa House subcommittee hearing that inspired Srinivas to take action, Bayer lobbyists Brad Epperly and Craig Mischo presented the bill to the subcommittee. There, Srinivas said their language on the kinds of studies that exist linking Roundup to potential cancer risk was misleading. \u201cThat subcommittee [meeting] had so much misinformation that people just believed,\u201d she told Civil Eats. \u201cTo still have a bill [move forward] was very concerning.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>Insiders say Bayer is using the outsized sway it holds among the public and elected officials in agricultural states to quietly execute a new strategy: Pass laws, state by state, that take away farmers\u2019 and other individuals\u2019 ability to sue if they get sick.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In an email, Bayer Crop Science representative Brian Leake said the company maintains that \u201cthe overwhelming weight of science as well as the assessments of the EPA and leading health regulators and scientists worldwide\u201d support the company\u2019s position that the product is safe and non-carcinogenic.<\/p>\n<p>While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains that glyphosate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/ingredients-used-pesticide-products\/glyphosate\">is unlikely to cause cancer<\/a> in humans, the International Agency for Research on Cancer<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/widely-used-herbicide-linked-to-cancer\/\"> classifies it <\/a>as a \u201cprobable carcinogen,\u201d pointing to many animal studies and epidemiological evidence that link it especially to non-Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma. In court, judges and juries <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2018\/03\/29\/inside-monsantos-day-in-court-scientists-weigh-in-on-glyphosates-cancer-risks\/\">have repeatedly found the body of research<\/a> presented to be convincing.<\/p>\n<p>They have also been presented with <a href=\"https:\/\/usrtk.org\/monsanto-papers\/\">reams of evidence<\/a> documenting how Monsanto worked to influence scientific studies and discredit any research that found significant risks for years. \u201cThere is strong evidence . . . that Monsanto does not particularly care whether its product is in fact giving people cancer, focusing instead on manipulating public opinion and undermining anyone who raises genuine and legitimate concern about the issue,\u201d U.S. District Court Judge Vince Chhabria <a href=\"https:\/\/foe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Merchants_of_Poison_Report_final_113022.pdf\">said<\/a> during one 2019 trial.<\/p>\n<p>Now, in addition to Iowa and Idaho, similar bills have been introduced in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.mo.gov\/24info\/pdf-bill\/SCSfromResearch\/SB1416.pdf\">Missouri<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.myfloridahouse.gov\/Sections\/Bills\/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=78935&amp;SessionId=103\">Florida<\/a>. At the same time, the pesticide industry\u2019s trade association CropLife America is working hard to pass a federal law that would bar states from passing their own laws that restrict pesticide use based on risks.<\/p>\n<p>The multi-pronged strategy is just one example of how multi-billion-dollar global companies use their influence to change laws and keep pesticides on the market\u2014and the stakes in this case are high.<\/p>\n<p>The bills don\u2019t name specific chemicals, the companies that make them, or individual illnesses. If passed, then, they could seriously curtail citizens\u2019 ability to seek compensation for any health harms caused by any pesticide. Last year, for example, farmers in multiple states <a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/US\/burns-crisp-farmers-allege-link-popular-herbicide-parkinsons\/story?id=102449723\">brought lawsuits against Syngenta<\/a>, the ChemChina-owned company that makes the herbicide paraquat. Paraquat is banned in dozens of countries based on its toxicity and has been linked to Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have Iowa farmers who have brought lawsuits recently for <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/03\/22\/paraquat-the-deadliest-chemical-in-us-agriculture-goes-on-trial\/\">Parkinson\u2019s and paraquat<\/a>,\u201d Faux said. \u201cTo emphasize that it\u2019s all pesticides [that are included] would be a very quick way for the bill to lose any support. That\u2019s why the messaging is glyphosate.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>In addition to Iowa and Idaho, similar bills have been introduced in Missouri and Florida. At the same time, the pesticide industry\u2019s trade association CropLife America is working hard to pass a federal law that would bar states from passing their own laws that restrict pesticide use based on risks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Bayer\u2019s Leake declined a request for an interview and sent a statement that reads, in part, \u201cWe support state legislation alongside dozens of other agricultural organizations because the future of American farming depends on reliable science-based regulation of important crop protection products that the EPA has determined safe for use.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Syngenta representative declined a request for an interview and the opportunity to provide comments. On its website, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.syngenta.com\/en\/protecting-crops\/products-list\/paraquat\">the company maintains<\/a> that \u201cscientific evidence does not support a causal link between paraquat and Parkinson\u2019s disease\u201d and that the herbicide \u201cis safe for its intended and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/08\/30\/pesticide-safety-labels-farmworker-health-safety-data-sheets-english-spanish\/\">labelled use<\/a>.\u201d In Iowa, Syngenta backed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/lobbyist\/reports\/declarations?ga=90&amp;ba=HSB646\">an early version of the bill<\/a>, but its lobbyists have since <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/lobbyist\/reports\/declarations?ga=90&amp;ba=SF2412\">registered against<\/a> later versions.<\/p>\n<h4>Serving Constituents or Pesticide Companies?<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> On February 6, the day before Srinivas posted her video in Iowa, Idaho Senator Mark Harris, a Republican, began a presentation at a Senate committee meeting. His order of business was to <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/sessioninfo\/2024\/legislation\/S1245.pdf\">present a bill<\/a> that matched the Iowa legislation nearly word for word. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Harris represents Soda Springs, where Bayer operates <a href=\"https:\/\/cumulis.epa.gov\/supercpad\/cursites\/csitinfo.cfm?id=1000213\">a 540-acre processing plant<\/a> to manufacture glyphosate. Rather than make his own case for giving pesticide companies\u2019 immunity from claims of health harms, he <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/sessioninfo\/2024\/standingcommittees\/240206_schr_0130PM-Minutes.pdf\">turned his time over<\/a> to James Curry, Bayer\u2019s deputy director of state and local government affairs.<\/p>\n<p>Curry led with Bayer\u2019s history of <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2019\/06\/24\/roundups-other-problem-glyphosate-is-sourced-from-controversial-mines\/\">mining phosphorus in Idaho<\/a> to make glyphosate, which it had been doing since 1952. He argued that when used according to the label requirements, glyphosate was safe. Bayer\u2019s legal costs were creating uncertainties, and according to the minutes, \u201che stated the industry needed help from the legislature to ensure its ability to mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It was only a month into 2024, but the company had already <a href=\"https:\/\/elections.sos.idaho.gov\/TED\/PublicPortal\/Launchpad.aspx?LobbyingYear=2024&amp;_gl=1*ny6qy8*_ga*ODMyNjkwMDYwLjE3MDg5NjY5MTE.*_ga_SN820FRG5P*MTcwODk3MzA2OC4xLjAuMTcwODk3MzA2OC42MC4wLjA\">reported spending<\/a> more than $6,000 lobbying for the single bill in Idaho, compared to just $800 spent on any lobbying in the state the entire year prior.<\/p>\n<p>Both nationally and in individual farm states, Bayer and other pesticide companies join and support overlapping associations and trade groups that involve industry peers and yield influence behind the scenes. In Idaho, for example, the Food Producers of Idaho have been involved in lobbying for the bill. Bayer is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodproducersofidaho.org\/membership.html\">a voting member<\/a> of the Food Producers of Idaho and one of the organization\u2019s \u201cplatinum&#8221; sponsors for 2024. Other members include Idaho\u2019s sugar beet growers, who have almost <a href=\"https:\/\/www.idahofb.org\/news-room\/posts\/sugar-beet-industry-flips-narrative-on-gmo-crops\/\">universally adopted <\/a>planting beets genetically modified to be resistant to glyphosate.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals representing the industry testified in support of the bill at the hearing. In <a href=\"https:\/\/foe.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Merchants_of_Poison_Report_final_113022.pdf\">emails<\/a> obtained by U.S. Right to Know, Monsanto employees (before the Bayer purchase) listed \u201cinoculate key grower associations\u201d as one of a few important steps in a strategy to keep Roundup on the market after IARC\u2019s carcinogen designation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe more layers of the onion you peel back, the more you realize how the system is just tilted toward industry,\u201d said ICL\u2019s Oppenheimer, who attended the Idaho hearing.<\/p>\n<p>Back in Iowa, groups including the Agribusiness Association of Iowa and the Iowa Biotechnology Association <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/lobbyist\/reports\/declarations?ga=90&amp;ba=HSB646\">have lobbied<\/a> for the immunity bill. The Agribusiness Association of Iowa counts Bayer and all of the other largest pesticide manufacturers among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.agribiz.org\/membership-directory\/\">its members<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.agribiz.org\/about-aai\/board-of-directors\/\">lists<\/a> a Bayer employee as an \u201cat-large director.\u201d Bayer is also <a href=\"https:\/\/members.iowabio.org\/directory\/Search\/food-agriculture-323792\">a member<\/a> of the Iowa Biotechnology Association and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iowabio.org\/board-of-directors\/\">holds<\/a> a board seat.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa hosted a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brownwinick.com\/events\/2023-kickoff-fundraising-reception-for-secretary-of-agriculture-mike-naig-rep.-mike-sexton-and-sen.-dawn-driscoll\">\u201c2023 kickoff fundraising reception\u201d<\/a> for Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and two members of the Iowa legislature, Representative Mike Sexton and Senator Dawn Driscoll, both Republicans.\u00a0Sexton <a href=\"https:\/\/webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov\/publicReports\/searchable-database\">has received<\/a> campaign donations from both Bayer and Syngenta during campaigns; Driscoll <a href=\"https:\/\/webapp.iecdb.iowa.gov\/publicReports\/searchable-database\">has received<\/a> donations from Syngenta and the Agribusiness Association of Iowa\u2019s PAC. Outside of the Senate, Driscoll works for an agribusiness consulting company that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/seedindustry\/details\/recommendations\/?detailScreenTabIndex=0\">has worked with Syngenta as a client<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As chairs of the House and Senate agriculture committees, respectively, Sexton and Driscoll have helped move the bill forward in each chamber.<\/p>\n<p>Neither Sexton nor Driscoll responded to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>Secretary Naig\u2019s communications director said the Secretary has not been involved with the pesticide immunity bills at all. But Austin Frerick, an Iowa-based agriculture policy expert and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.austinfrerick.com\/\">author of <em>Barons<\/em><\/a>, pointed to Naig\u2019s resume as an example of how industry ties are commonplace and deeply rooted in Iowa\u2019s state government.<\/p>\n<p>Starting in 2000, Naig <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mike-naig-28376a5\">worked at<\/a> CropLife America, the pesticide industry trade association, the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, and then the Iowa Biotechnology Association. From there, he went to work on government lobbying at Monsanto. In 2013, he was hired by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. When the top position became available in 2018, Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, appointed him.<\/p>\n<p>That appointment \u201ctold me where real power is in the state,\u201d Frerick said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to view Iowa as an extraction economy. The whole political class is in on it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When Naig had to run for re-election later, Monsanto handed him $10,000, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/campaign-expenditures\/vendor?cycle=2018&amp;vendor=Mike+Naig+for+Iowa+Agriculture\">his largest 2018 donation<\/a>. In elections since, Bayer has donated thousands in most cycles, alongside the other biggest pesticide manufacturers, Syngenta and Corteva Agriscience.<\/p>\n<h4>The Fight to Stop the Bills<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> Still, the elected officials and coalition of public health and environmental advocacy organizations pushing back on the bills are succeeding in their efforts. The mounting lawsuits around paraquat and its foreign ownership are their weapon of choice. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>In Srinivas\u2019 TikTok video, her language is pointed, as she calls it out for being \u201cChinese-government owned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her point? Since Syngenta is owned by ChemChina and makes paraquat, if any of the pesticide immunity bills pass, it would make it harder for American citizens to hold a Chinese company accountable for potential harms.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, unlike Roundup and other products made with glyphosate, China, the European Union, and the United Kingdom consider paraquat <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/03\/22\/paraquat-the-deadliest-chemical-in-us-agriculture-goes-on-trial\/\">dangerous enough<\/a> to have banned it in agriculture. (A single sip can kill a human.) Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2023\/03\/22\/paraquat-the-deadliest-chemical-in-us-agriculture-goes-on-trial\/\">decades of legal battles<\/a> and dozens of new studies that link long-term exposure to Parkinson\u2019s disease, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/environment\/2024\/feb\/11\/epa-reapprove-paraquat-herbicide-parkinsons\">EPA recently reapproved<\/a> its safety when used with proper precautions.<\/p>\n<p>Whatever the pesticide, Bayer\u2019s argument is that the warnings and precautions the EPA outlines on its labels are adequate. In his email, Bayer\u2019s Leake argued that the bills would not prevent anyone from suing a pesticide manufacturer but rather would ensure the EPA\u2019s labels are sufficient to satisfy health and safety warnings.<\/p>\n<p>But those warning labels focus on acute risks, such as what will happen if you drink the chemical or breathe in the spray. And experts say that the agency\u2019s process is not set up to assess long-term risks of lower-dose exposure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt will not warn you about frequent low-dose exposure leading to Parkinson\u2019s,\u201d said PANNA\u2019s Faux, so if more studies are published in the coming years that offer further proof of the link, bills like these would prevent individuals from seeking recourse. Historically, there are countless examples where the risks of pesticides approved as safe came to light only years after they were in use; <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2022\/07\/06\/ddt-elena-conis-pesticides-health-farmworkers-chemicals-safety-regulation\/\">DDT<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/civileats.com\/2021\/09\/02\/op-ed-the-ban-on-chlorpyrifos-and-the-power-of-community-organizing\/\">chlorpyrifos<\/a> are good examples. \u201cIowa likes to say we value our farmers, that\u2019s what we lean into,\u201d he said. \u201cWell, there are some farmers, some family farmers, who stood up and said, \u2018We\u2019re dealing with illness that we feel might have been caused by pesticides.\u2019 You don\u2019t abandon them.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Federal Bills Also Threaten State Power to Label<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> While the state-level bills agrichemical companies are working to push through would make it harder for individuals to sue companies when they believe products have caused their illnesses, the companies are simultaneously working on federal legislation that would weaken states\u2019 ability to warn residents of risks. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>Last year, representatives Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota) and Jim Costa (D-California) <a href=\"https:\/\/costa.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/costa-johnson-bill-establishes-ag-product-labeling-uniformity\">introduced<\/a> the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act, which would prohibit states from putting their own warning labels on pesticides in addition to those required by the EPA.<\/p>\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.p65warnings.ca.gov\/fact-sheets\/glyphosate-and-proposition-65-frequently-asked-questions\">in California<\/a>, Proposition 65 requires companies to put a warning label on all products that contain ingredients classified by IARC as \u201cprobable human carcinogens.\u201d Since glyphosate fits the bill, Roundup and other glyphosate-based herbicides would have to carry the label (although <a href=\"https:\/\/www.centerforfoodsafety.org\/press-releases\/6053\/judge-overrides-california-state-warning-label-of-glyphosate-pesticide-as-probable-carcinogen-under-proposition-65\">a court ruling<\/a> changed that in 2020). If the Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act passed, it would make it illegal for California to put that label on those products.<\/p>\n<p>Now, CropLife is using its political influence in D.C. to ramp up <a href=\"https:\/\/www.croplifeamerica.org\/protecting-farmers-access-to-the-tools-they-need\">its campaign<\/a> to get the language from the bill included <a href=\"https:\/\/costa.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/costa-johnson-bill-establishes-ag-product-labeling-uniformity\">in the upcoming farm bill<\/a>. As the pesticide manufacturers\u2019 membership association, CropLife pools funds from Bayer and other pesticide companies and donates to candidates through a PAC while also courting lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>For example, at its annual gathering last week, it <a href=\"https:\/\/claandrise.swoogo.com\/2024WinterBoard\">hosted two receptions<\/a> where company representatives could mingle with either Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) or Representative Adrian Smith (R-Nebraska) in exchange for a campaign contribution. The organization also lobbies on Capitol Hill and works on messaging campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>In February, the group ran ads in Politico\u2019s Morning Ag newsletter, influential among policymakers and other key players in D.C, which framed the bill as necessary to protect American farmers. \u201cU.S. farmers\u2019 access to pesticides, which are critical for growing crops in an affordable and sustainable way, is in jeopardy because of misguided state regulatory efforts. . . . Over 360 agricultural and other groups support the bipartisan Agricultural Labeling Uniformity Act to help the U.S. correct course,\u201d one ad read. To garner public support, the group has been running similar ads <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ads\/library\/?active_status=all&amp;ad_type=all&amp;country=US&amp;view_all_page_id=111093788932913&amp;sort_data%5bdirection%5d=desc&amp;sort_data%5bmode%5d=relevancy_monthly_grouped&amp;search_type=page&amp;media_type=all\">on Facebook.<\/a><\/p>\n<h4>What\u2019s Next at the State Level?<\/h4>\n<\/div><div class=\"post-simple post-capital-letter\"><p> At this point, Faux and Oppenheimer are working with a coalition of groups across state lines, and they\u2019re optimistic that their messages are gaining traction. <\/p><\/div><div class=\"post-simple\">\n<p>In Iowa, after the bill failed to move in the House, it passed in the Senate Agriculture Committee but then stalled there. Then, last week, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legis.iowa.gov\/legislation\/BillBook?ba=SF2412&amp;ga=90\">it was reintroduced<\/a> in the Senate as an appropriations bill. This time, it included a new clause specifying that it would not apply to \u201cany product made by a People\u2019s Republic of China state-owned enterprise.\u201d While the session is nearing its end, \u00a0Faux said there is still time for it to move further, since the legislature often goes beyond its posted scheduled.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-quote\"><p>\u201cWe\u2019re sacrificing our future for the present,\u201d said Brian Lenney, a Republican. \u201cAnd lastly, I don\u2019t think giving lifetime immunity to multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies was on our constituents\u2019 bingo card when they sent us here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>But even if it fails, the groups are already looking to the next session in 2025. \u201cIf it looks like it\u2019s going to go away quietly, we need to be ready for the next [session],\u201d he said, because it could mean that \u201cthey decided to modify it based on the lessons learned and come back next year with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Idaho, the bill has already been modified three times. After the Senate committee narrowly voted it down, a new version of the bill was introduced in the House, with small tweaks meant to get some of the doubting lawmakers on board. However, it was scheduled to be presented in a House committee in early March, when, to everyone\u2019s surprise, lawmakers deleted it from the agenda hours before the meeting started. Then, <a href=\"https:\/\/legislature.idaho.gov\/sessioninfo\/2024\/legislation\/S1432\/\">a slightly modified version<\/a> was introduced in the Senate last week. Given the limited time remaining in the session, Oppenheimer believes it\u2019s unlikely to pass.<\/p>\n<p>But the bill\u2019s future is still just as unclear as it was in the original Idaho hearing. There, on both sides of the aisle, lawmakers went out of their way to praise the agriculture industry. Some named Bayer specifically. But then, some who presented as supportive went on to say that they were still voting no, often citing family members who suffered through cancer diagnoses and discomfort with the idea that this would preemptively let powerful companies off the hook.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re sacrificing our future for the present,\u201d said Brian Lenney, a Republican. \u201cAnd lastly, I don\u2019t think giving lifetime immunity to multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical companies was on our constituents\u2019 bingo card when they sent us here.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class='ctx-module-container ctx_default_placement ctx-clearfix'><\/div><span class=\"ctx-article-root\"><!-- --><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>January 29, 2025 update:\u00a0Iowa state legislators reintroduced the bill, now called\u00a0Senate Study Bill 1051, that would shield Bayer and other pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits based on claims their products caused cancer and other illnesses.\u00a0 April 1, 2024 update: Two days after Civil Eats reported on this matter, a group of senators signed a letter addressed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":740,"featured_media":55766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43519,4343,4480,43396,3265],"tags":[],"coauthors":[4440],"class_list":["post-55770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chemical-capture","category-food-policy","category-health","category-investigations","category-pesticides"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.6 (Yoast SEO v25.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Inside Bayer\u2019s State-by-State Efforts to Stop Pesticide Lawsuits | Civil Eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the agrichemical giant lays groundwork to fend off Roundup litigation, its use of a 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