North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong (R) I signed the law This made his state the country the first to protect farm chemical manufacturers from product safety concerns, particularly lawsuits over the Roundup of popular herbicides.
Armstrong, a former Congress member who was elected governor last fall, has not commented on signing the bill on Thursday. His office did not immediately respond to requests from the hill.
law It was unanimously approved at the Republican-owned state Capitol, with four Democrats and two Republicans abstaining. It passed the Senate by 29-18 votes, with all five Democrats voting against the measure along with 13 Republicans.
German base Pesticide manufacturer Bayer and farmers I have it push Laws protecting companies from lawsuits via Roundup, including glyphosate.
Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) article Glyphosate is safe if the label direction continues, but it is plagued by claiming that Roundup causes cancer. Bayer paid $10 billion in 2016 to resolve lawsuits with thousands of cancer patients over widely used herbicides.
According to North Dakota’s new law When effective August 1, warning labels that meet EPA standards will be deemed “sufficient to meet the state’s health or safety warning or labeling requirements.”
Proponents of the new law said they would protect farmers from losing important tools through “through the actions of litigation industry and California activists, mercilessly targeting the tools they rely on to produce safe, affordable, rich foods.” The industry is afraid that Bayer can pull its products if it continues to face financial penalties.
“If the litigation industry and California activists win, US agriculture could face a crisis
At every dinner table across America, with farmers all over the country.” Under hearing on the bill Before that passing. “The lack of legislative clarity regarding pesticide labeling forces farmers to make difficult decisions that emphasize livelihoods, our food security and ultimately national security.”
Opponents argued that large corporations simply sought laws to protect their interests, ignoring potential public health hazards.
“The profits of out-of-state businesses are trying to ruin their ability to reasonably protect themselves in court from pesticide labels that are not doing their jobs properly.” Dakota Resource Council I said During the hearing. “If the product is unsafe, you need to be accountable.”
“Every time we talk about regulations, we enter a hot potato, a federal game.
“The state and local governments say they should handle this, and the state and local governments say the federal government should handle this, and people should suffer from it during that time,” he added.
Researchers at the University of Washington Ends in 2019 Glyphosate exposure increases the risk of some cancers by more than 40%, but following the study, the EPA approved its use, It is considered glyphosate “It’s probably not carcinogenic to humans.” Unique review.
