EPA Provides “Strong Protections” For Dicamba Use On Soybeans And Cotton For Next Two Years

The EPA announced last Friday that it is implementing the “strongest protections in agency history” for over-the-top dicamba herbicide use on soybeans and cotton for two years. The agency’s statement said the move will support farmers and rural communities, and the decision is in direct response to advocacy from cotton and soybean farmers. The decision has drawn significant criticism from MAHA moms, including Zen Honeycutt of Moms Across America.

“Approving Dicamba is a disaster,” Honeycutt wrote. “The EPA is making Trump a liar. Trump said on his presidential platform while he was shaking Kennedy‘s hand, that he could go wild on pesticides, and he said it in the same sentence as childhood, chronic illness, and autism. We moms voted for him because of this. Over the past year, the EPA has not done one single thing to reduce our children’s exposure to toxic pesticides. Not one ban – they’ve only approved PFAS pesticides and now Dicamba. This was the wrong choice. Cotton farmers have 1000 other chemicals. We moms only need 1 vote.”

The EPA said it is committed to “gold standard science” and conducted a thorough evaluation of the data, including hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and field results. The agency said the studies involved applicators who have “decades of intensive exposure” rather than individual consumers. The agency also said there is “no unreasonable risk to human health or the environment” when OTT dicamba is applied according to label instructions. The agency release said they are concerned about dicamba drift and have applied safeguards to minimize and prevent it, including significant penalties that may include criminal charges.

Federal courts ruled twice that the EPA’s approvals of dicamba in 2020 and 2024 were unlawful. The courts ruled that the EPA understated the risks posed by drift, which can damage off-target crops and the surrounding environment. The 2024 court ruling also found procedural faults by the agency for failing to provide a proper notice-and-comment period.

A 2020 Agricultural Health Study found that herbicide applicators who had higher exposure rates to dicamba had increased risks of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, acute/other lymphocytic leukemia, and mantle cell lymphoma. The increased incidence of liver/bile duct cancer persisted for a 20-year follow-up period, while the lung and colon cancers did not retain an increased likelihood for those with higher dicamba exposure.

The American Soybean Association, which partners with and receives funding from dicamba manufacturers, celebrated the EPA’s decision. “We appreciate EPA moving forward with a new dicamba label and recognize the importance of maintaining access to this tool for soybean farmers,” said ASA President Scott Metzger. “Farmers need clear, workable rules that accurately reflect how we farm. We look forward to reviewing the final label and hope it incorporates the feedback ASA and its state affiliates provided to ensure dicamba remains a practical option within a responsible, science-based weed management system.”

Estimates suggest that as much as 60% of processed foods contain soy or soybean oil, which is also a seed oil. The EPA has set dicamba residue tolerances for various foods and has concluded that residues within these tolerances are safe and unlikely to cause harm to consumers from non-occupational exposures.

The HighWire has reported on multiple critiques of the Trump administration’s pesticide policies and the EPA from MAHA advocates who are disappointed with some of the agency’s decisions. The Supreme Court has accepted a case from Bayer where they will consider whether people can file lawsuits in “failure to warn cases” when the label complies with EPA regulations. The Trump administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of Bayer/Monsanto.

The EPA recently announced an expedited review of the human health impacts of water fluoridation while it simultaneously appeals the landmark court decision that concluded that water fluoridation poses an “unreasonable risk to human health.” While the agency could immediately begin processes to remove fluoride or reduce the recommended fluoridation levels, it is moving forward with a new review while using taxpayer dollars to appeal the court decision that requires it to act.

The HighWire also reported this week about the testing failures by the EPA that have left residents dealing with significant health effects from chemical disasters from East Palestine, OH, to Roseland, Louisiana.

The EPA also has several assistant administrators who have worked for chemical companies and lobbying groups. Douglas Troutman is the assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) after serving as a lobbyist for the American Cleaning Institute, which represents BASF, Dow, and others. BASF and Bayer are two of the most prominent manufacturers of dicamba.

The OCSPP division of the EPA is responsible for regulating pesticides and includes others who have worked in lobbying and executive roles for the American Chemistry Council, which represents BASF, Bayer, and other major chemical manufacturers. Nancy Beck is the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator at OCSPP.

Lynn Ann Dekleva was the Associate Deputy Assistant Administrator of Chemicals during the first Trump administration until January 2021. After leaving the government agency, she joined the ACC as a senior director. Kyle Kunkler is the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pesticides in OCSPP after serving as a lobbyist with ASA, which partners with and receives funding from both BASF and Bayer.