News

Hearing on Missouri pesticide emergency rule

 

Opposition to Missouri’s proposed restricted use label and stop-sale rule for older dicamba and 2-4-D products during this growing season (April 15 through October 1st) has been shared in testimony before the Missouri Department of Agriculture today. Jim Gray, an ag consultant and director of the 2-4-D Task Force, says the emergency rule is not needed, “Given the fact that there’s been no evidence of Legacy 2-4-D herbicide misuse, over the top of Enlist tolerant crops in the last two growing seasons, we’re a bit disappointed that the state has decided to continue to press this rule forward on 2-4-D.”

Stuart Feldstein, executive vice president of Iowa-based Albaugh, says the rule would ban them from selling two of their top five products, “This would have a huge impact on our business. Particularly if other states decide to follow suit. That would definitely have a big impact on jobs and livelihoods of our workforce in St. Joseph, not to mention the impacts on our customers and the end users of our products.”

The Missouri Soybean Association and Missouri Corn Growers Association also object to the restricted use of 2-4-D but support it on the older dicamba formulations. The Missouri Cattlemen’s says the rule would wrongly prevent cattle producers from using the products to control pasture weeds. And the timing of the proposed rule was criticized with its start date of April 15^th, 2018.

The proposal would make the active ingredients restricted use pesticides in Missouri and require certified use, retailer licenses to sell, and records of all sales. The two active ingredients combined would be exempt as would products with non-ag use labels.

Missouri Ag Department spokeswoman Sarah Alsager tells Brownfield the department will review the comments from today’s hearing along with 40 submitted written comments on the proposed emergency rule and make a decision “soon.”

Hearing at MO DNR~