Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters). -The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is evaluating the safety of spraying dicamba on genetically modified cotton and soybean crops to prevent them from succumbing to the pesticide.

For years, scientists and farmers reported that dicamba was drifting off the field where it has been sprayed. This caused damage to plants nearby not resistant to the herbicide.

According to the EPA, it received approximately 3,500 reports in this year indicating that over a million acres non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans were allegedly affected by chemical drift from their original locations. According to the agency, damage was also done to crops like grapes and trees.

The agency stated that the incident numbers, severity, and geographical extent were similar to those of last year. However, the EPA tightened restrictions for dicamba use in 2021’s growing season.

Michal Freedhoff (EPA Assistant Administrator) stated that “Right now, we don’t have a way to know if over-the top dicamba can safely be used in a fashion that doesn’t pose unreasonable risk to non-target crop and other plants.”

Freedhoff indicated that the EPA is currently evaluating all options to address future dicamba-related incidents.

Other restrictions are a major blow Bayer AG (DE:), which supplies the herbicide XtendiMax under its brand name, and seeds for growing dicamba-resistant plants. It has resolved lawsuits filed by landowners who claimed their crops had been damaged by neighbor’s use of dicamba.

Bayer (OTC). It stated it believes that the EPA’s October 2020 restrictions have “helped the vast bulk of XtendiMax herbicide customers succeed in weed control, on-target applications, and this season’s EPA regulations.”

Seed companies and farmers are calling for regulation to restrict spraying prior to planting. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group that advocates for farmers and seed companies, the EPA must impose a “complete ban”.

According to the EPA, regulatory changes are unlikely to be completely implemented before the 2022 growing seasons. However, the agency stated that it would work with any state that wants to place additional restrictions.

The U.S. appeals courts blocked dicamba sales from June 2020. They ruled that the EPA substantially underestimated the risks of its use. The court decision was invalidated by the EPA, which under President Donald Trump reauthorized the use dicamba-based weedkillers, with additional restrictions.