Dear Editor:
I’m concerned the state legislature is not acting quickly enough to head off a potential disaster coming for our agricultural sector.
Opportunistic trial lawyers are coming to Missouri in droves to file frivolous, unscientifically sound lawsuits that could tie up American producers of pesticides like glyphosate-based weed control agents in years of litigation and ultimately drive these companies out of business. However, if Missouri state legislators pass SB 1416 this session they can clarify important regulations around labeling requirements and send these lawyers back where they came from.
If the trial lawyers win, every farmer in Missouri loses. Unsustainable litigation would eventually lead American producers to close shop, meaning farmers would have to turn to Chinese companies to buy weed control products, which is the only other country in the world that makes glyphosate.
Glyphosate is used on 66 percentage of Missouri corn acres and 91 percentage of soybean acres to ensure robust, efficient crop yields.
Without this product, farms would produce fewer healthy crops putting further strain on food availability and driving up prices for consumers.
SB1416 establishes clear and uniform guidelines for glyphosate use, providing much-needed certainty for our agricultural sector. I encourage our Senator to support these simple regulatory modifications so that we can ensure American production of glyphosate will continue to support our farmers and ranchers.
Dale Ludwig,
Linn
