The Environmental Protection Agency set a goal of issuing a decision on Monsanto’s new dicamba products by the end of this year. The products are designed to be used with the Roundup Ready Xtend crops. However, the approval process has been bogged down by reports of farmers using an older version of the herbicide and have done some damage in nearby crops that aren’t resistant to the weed killer. In April, the EPA proposed allowing the use of the herbicide designed to be used with the Monsanto Xtend crops, but it hasn’t actually approved it yet. Some farmers filled in the gaps with older versions of the herbicide. The acting Director of the EPA’s pesticide registration division, Michael Goodis, said those uses are illegal and could be subject to criminal prosecution. Goodis also said the chemical’s effects on nearby crops raise concerns about Monsanto’s new herbicide being contained in fields where it’s applied.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.