Chicago The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scrutinizing the controversial herbicide dicamba from Bayer. According to its own information on Tuesday, the EPA is examining whether dicamba can be sprayed on genetically engineered soybeans and cotton plants without presenting unreasonable risks to other crops.
The herbicide has been part of the Bayer Group’s product range since the takeover of Monsanto. Bayer has faced a wave of complaints and lawsuits about dicamba in recent years.
The weed killer hit the headlines because, according to farmers, a new composition led to damage to their crops. According to experts, dicamba evaporated, drifted across the fields and thus also reached crops that were not genetically engineered.
The EPA claims it has received around 3,500 reports this year that more than 4,000 square kilometers of non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans were allegedly damaged as the chemical evaporated from its site of application. Trees and rice were also damaged, the authority said.
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The EPA is considering all of its options to investigate future incidents related to dicamba. Last year, the agency had restricted the use of the herbicide. The approval of dicamba was then extended for a further five years.
Further restrictions on dicamba would be a blow to the office for Bayer. Initially, no statement was received from the group.
More: Bayer loses billions – the agricultural business becomes a problem