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EPA backing of pesticide poses human health risks, groups allege
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is risking the health of farmworkers and other Americans by allowing continued widespread use of a highly toxic pesticide called paraquat that has been linked to Parkinson’s disease and other health problems, a coalition of advocacy groups alleged in court filings this week.
The group of eight organizations is challenging a 2021 EPA decision that the group’s allege violates federal law. They say the EPA failed to adequately account for the “magnitude” of the risks posed by paraquat use, and improperly determined that the benefits of paraquat for crop production outweigh the dangers to farmworkers and others.
Farm groups ramp up battle to keep using banned pesticide to grow food
By Anthony Lacey and Carey Gillam
A powerful contingent of agricultural and produce grower groups this week filed the latest salvo in a years-long battle over the pesticide chlorpyrifos, seeking to reverse a new rule banning the chemical from use in U.S. food production.
Group set to sue USDA over pesticide spray program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is violating the law by regularly applying insecticides to large swaths of land across the United States, activities that threaten already endangered species, according to two environmental advocacy groups that notified the agency Tuesday of their intent to file a lawsuit if the alleged violations are not remedied.
The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and the Center for Biological Diversity said they were giving a required 60-day notice to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of their intent to bring a lawsuit alleging violations of the Endangered Species Act.
“Urgent” action needed as climate change impairs agriculture, experts warn
By Scott Snowden
Urgent action is needed as drought, wildfires, pests, diseases and rising sea temperatures contribute to an environment that will significantly impact global crop production, leading to higher food prices and shortages as climate change accelerates, scientists warned this week.