As news circulates that the Environmental Protection Agency could be making changes to dicamba registrations as well as other crucial herbicides used by farmers, a bipartisan group of congressional members are asking EPA to delay any changes. In a letter sent to EPA Administrator Michael Regan, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., led 12 of her colleagues in the U.S. House calling on the agency to delay the implementation of any upcoming herbicide registration revisions at this time.
 
Citing nationwide supply chain backlogs and heightened consumer demand, the bipartisan group of lawmakers made clear that such a delay would reduce burdensome costs on American farmers and prevent families from seeing further price increases at the grocery store.
 
“During this period of economic uncertainty caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, taking steps to restrict the number of herbicides that farmers can utilize could seriously exacerbate existing strains on supply chains, leading to shortages, increased demand for already supply constrained alternatives, price hikes and significant losses directly to farmers who have already purchased herbicide and seed for the upcoming 2022 growing season,” the letter explains. “In addition, these restrictions could force farmers to reduce their use of conservation practices such as no-till agriculture that have been instrumental in reaching regional water quality goals, increasing soil carbon sequestration, improving soil quality and reducing run-off.”
 
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