Missouri bill seeks to align state and federal pesticide regulations

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — As farmers begin planting, the Missouri House and Senate are considering a bill aimed at aligning state and federal pesticide regulations.

House Bill 544, which passed the Missouri House in February with a vote of 85-72, seeks to ensure consistency between state and federal standards to protect both farmers and consumers.

Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, executive director of the Modern Ag Alliance, a coalition of agricultural stakeholders, highlighted the challenges faced by the agriculture sector.

"Agriculture sits between really a rock and a hard place," she said. "On one side, you know, rock is that trial community these trial lawyers have said we are going to continue to sue you manufacturers in agriculture until you add additional disclaimers or warnings onto labels. On the other side of the coin you have the federal regulator the United States EPA that says we will not register products that have additional disclaimers and warnings that are contrary to our federal process. In fact, they’ve gone as far as to say additions of those would be deemed misbranding and those products would not be registered."

While glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup, has been frequently cited, the bill does not specify any particular chemical or manufacturer. Burns-Thompson emphasized that the discussion is about the process, not specific products, and urged farmers to make their voices heard.

"The voice of farmers in this conversation is incredibly important, and so we encourage folks to outreach to their elected officials to share just how important these critical crop protection tools are to their operation," she said.

The bill has advanced through both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees and is awaiting consideration on the Senate floor.

Similar discussions are taking place in Iowa, where Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig explained that the bill is not a free pass for manufacturers but a means to reduce confusion.

"While there may be some liability or some protection for some of those crop protection providers, there are many other ways that consumers and folks that have been wronged by companies or can challenge or can sue," Naig said. "This is not blanket immunity in any way, shape, or form, so I think it is time for us to have some clarity around this whole issue."