By Leah Douglas and Tom Polansek
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday proposed approvals for three products containing the weedkiller dicamba, whose use was halted by a federal court in 2024, arguing it does not pose a significant human health or environmental risk.
Cotton and soybean farmers had sprayed dicamba on crops that were genetically engineered to resist the herbicide, which controls tough weeds. Environmental groups have criticized the chemical because it can drift from where it is sprayed and damage neighboring plants.
A 2024 U.S. District Court ruling found the EPA previously violated public input procedures in its approval of three dicamba products, and vacated the product registrations. As a result, farmers were unable to spray dicamba on crops this year.
The EPA has received applications from Bayer AG, BASF and Syngenta for new approvals, the agency said in regulatory documents.
Bayer, which sold the dicamba herbicide XtendiMax, said it was pleased the EPA opened a public comment period on its proposal to approve dicamba usage.
“We are confident that low-volatility dicamba herbicides, when used according to the label, can be used safely and successfully on-target,” Bayer said.
BASF said it would work with regulators to ensure farmers can use dicamba. Syngenta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An EPA review found no risk to human health from the products, but some risk to certain plants, it said in a release. To mitigate that risk, the agency is proposing restrictions on how much of the chemical can be applied and when, the release said.
The top pesticides official at the EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, Kyle Kunkler, previously worked as a lobbyist for the American Soybean Association, which has supported allowing farmers to spray dicamba on soybeans.
The association said it was reviewing the EPA’s proposal and that dicamba is a critical tool for farmers.
(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington and Tom Polansek in ChicagoEditing by Marguerita Choy)
