Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 9/10/18

Chemical companies have been on a losing streak in recent court cases over the use of their products on plants and farms, and environmentalists who consider the substances harmful to public health and the environment see this as a moment of reckoning for agribusinesses like DowDuPont and Bayer, which now controls Monsanto, Pro Ag's Liz Crampton reports.

"These recent decisions collectively show the justice system's recognition of what the American public ... and scientists have been aware of for some time: These pesticides are harmful to human health and the environment," said George Kimbrell, legal director for the Center for Food Safety.

A look at the recent cases: In August, a U.S. appellate court ordered EPA to ban the use of chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used on fruits, vegetables and nuts that has been linked to memory loss, attention deficit disorder and other neurological problems in children.
Also last month, a California jury sided with a former groundskeeper who alleged that Monsanto's Roundup weedkiller, which includes the herbicide glyphosate, gave him terminal cancer. More than 5,000 other people are suing the company, claiming Monsanto hid the potential cancer risk posed by its products.

Dicamba, Monsanto's other widely used and controversial weedkiller, is also the subject of multiple lawsuits, and EPA is expected to make a decision by November about reauthorizing it.

Industry response: The makers of the pesticides say the new rulings will damage farmers' ability to grow crops. DowDuPont's new agriculture division, Corteva, said after last month's ruling that "chlorpyrifos is a critical pest management tool" and that the company "will continue to support the growers who need this important product." The conglomerate is the biggest manufacturer of chlorpyrifos.

"Glyphosate transformed agriculture," Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of global strategy, told Liz. "When you have plaintiffs lawyers trying to take that out of the hands of growers around the world, a product that's a safe tool ... I am offended."