Parker Waichman comments on Monsanto Pesticides Restricted Use in Tennessee

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y., July 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm that has spent many years fighting to protect human and environmental health comments on news that Tennessee is the fourth state to restrict use of Monsanto Company's use of the weed killer, dicamba, on crops due to crop damage. According to an Insurance Journal report dated July 14, 2017, dicamba is sprayed by farmers on crops that have been genetically modified to tolerate the weed killer; however, the weed killer is drifting causing significant damage to soybeans, cotton and other crops across the southern United States. Farmers have fought with neighbors over lost crops and have brought lawsuits against dicamba producers, according to Insurance Journal. (http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/southeast/2017/07/14/457701.htm)

The new restrictions in Tennessee permit application of dicamba from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to limit any possible pesticide drift. The state also bans use of older dicamba formulations. "I'm confident that we can address this issue as we have in other cases to ensure the safe and effective use of these tools," Tennessee Agriculture Commissioner Jai Templeton said in a statement, according to Insurance Journal.

The week prior, Arkansas banned the use of dicamba. Prior to that, Missouri, which initially ceased dicamba spraying, has since joined Tennessee with tight restrictions on when and in what weather dicamba spraying may be conducted. In the meantime, Kansas is investigating dicamba complaints, wrote Insurance Journal.

"We've had damage across just about every acre of soybeans we farm in southeast Missouri," Hunter Raffety, a farmer in Wyatt, Missouri told Insurance Journal. "In our small town, the azaleas, the ornamentals, people have lost their vegetable gardens. It's a big problem." Mr. Raffety believes that 3,000 - 4,000 acres of soybeans that are grown on his family's 6,000-acre farm have sustained damage, including plants' leaves shrinking into cup-like shapes.

The dicamba problem follows California's announcement in June 2017 that it would list glyphosate as a probable carcinogen in the state, according to Insurance Journal. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Monsanto's controversial Roundup weed killer.

Parker Waichman continues to fight to ensure human and environmental health are protected. If you or someone you know has suffered losses or injuries due to weed killers and pesticides, please visit Parker Waichman's website or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

SOURCE Parker Waichman LLP