MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – A ban on a pesticide widely used by farmers across the country and Alabama has been lifted by a federal court. United States Sen. Tommy Tuberville is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to comply with the court’s decision.
“The EPA is tying up our farmers in unnecessary red tape despite recent rulings in the courts,” Tuberville said.
The EPA banned the pesticide in 2021, citing claims that the chemicals pose an unnecessary health risk to children.
The pesticide is called chlorpyrifos. Farmers began using it in 1965 on a number of crops like soybeans, corn and cotton.
“It’s really good at killing the insects that eat on a lot of our crops in Alabama,” said Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate.
Pate says chlorpyrifos is a valuable tool for farmers. But critics argue the health risks far outweigh its benefits.
The EPA said chlorpyrifos is associated with potential neurological effects in children and banned the use of it on food in 2021. But a court reversed the decision this month, saying the EPA rushed the effort to ban the pesticide.
Tuberville says he led an effort to push the EPA to follow the court ruling.
”I helped lead a bicameral letter signed by 55 members of Congress to the EPA telling them to follow the court ruling quickly so our farmers can use this important insecticide,” he said.
Pate said a decision to ban a product needs to be based on science, not emotions. He says there’s not currently enough proof that chlorpyrifos is a serious threat to our health.
“If the science proves that there’s a problem with it, then I don’t think anybody’s going to argue about taking it off the market, but it’s just not there yet,” said Pate.
The Alabama Farmers Federation Commodity Divisions Director Carla Hornady released the following statement:
“The Alabama Farmers Federation applauds the Nov. 3 court decision regarding chlorpyrifos and appreciates the support of Alabama’s U.S. Senators Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt as well as others in the U.S. Senate and House who have urged the EPA to comply with the court’s ruling. In 2021, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revoked chlorpyrifos tolerances, which effectively banned the pesticide. In 2022, the American Farm Bureau Federation, grower groups and Gharda Chemicals sued EPA in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals. On Nov. 3, the court unanimously agreed and ruled EPA must base its decision on sound science and the law. The decision does not automatically make chlorpyrifos available again. The court will need to issue a mandate, and EPA may appeal. This is expected to pave the way for a return of chlorpyrifos.”
The EPA says California, Hawaii, New York, Maryland and Oregon have imposed their own restrictions on the use of this pesticide on food.