Supreme Court rules in weedkiller cancer case

The Supreme Court ruled on June 17, 2024, that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cannot ban the use of the widely used herbicide dicamba. The decision came after a lawsuit filed by environmental groups challenging the EPA's decision to re-approve the chemical for use in 2020, despite concerns about its potential to drift and damage neighboring crops. The court's ruling allows farmers to continue using dicamba, which is often used in conjunction with genetically modified soybeans and cotton resistant to the herbicide. Environmental advocates, including the Center for Food Safety, had argued that the EPA failed to adequately consider the risks associated with dicamba's volatility and its impact on non-resistant crops, leading to widespread damage across millions of acres in previous years. The EPA had previously restricted dicamba's use in 2017 and 2018 due to similar concerns, but later re-approved it with updated application requirements. This latest ruling effectively sides with agricultural industry groups and farmers who rely on dicamba for weed control.