On February 6, EPA announced its reapproval of over-the-top (OTT) application of a toxic herbicide called dicamba on dicamba-resistant GE soybeans and cotton for at least the next two growing seasons. The announcement was spun by the agency as its “strongest protections in agency history” and as a direct response to “the strong advocacy of America’s cotton and soybean farmers,” but in reality, this move by EPA relaxes stronger regulation of dicamba OTT usage which was previously halted by the courts in 2024.

By bowing to pressure from Big Ag monoculture farming operations reliant on soybean and cotton seed genetically modified to be resistant to dicamba, EPA ignores small and mid-sized farms and rural communities who fall victim to dicamba drift. Dicamba is highly drift-prone; after application it can volatilize (become a vapor), rise into the air, and then drift onto neighboring fields and homes two to four days after application. Dicamba drift can be catastrophic for neighboring farms, being exposed to dicamba may increase the risk of developing certain cancers, specifically pancreatic and colon cancers.

In spite of the clear evidence of risk to non-target crops and to human life, EPA first approved this OTT application of dicamba on resistant crops in 2016; use began the following growing season. The approval was revoked in 2020 by the U.S. Court of Appeals who ruled that the approval was unlawful considering the “enormous and unprecedented damage” caused by the herbicide. EPA reapproved it anyway in 2020, and again in 2024 the courts overturned the reapproval. So now, this twice-banned pesticide has now been approved for use by EPA three times despite mounting evidence of its harmful effects.

There is no safe use of dicamba, and EPA should immediately ban all uses of this dangerous pesticide, however, the movement to end reliance on pesticides must move beyond bans of single pesticides. Without systemic support of organic and agroecological practices, food and farming systems will stay stuck on the pesticide treadmill, resorting to using higher quantities of stronger (and more dangerous) pesticides when one formulation is banned or highly regulated. We must call on our policymakers to support ecological alternatives to highly toxic pesticides and help farmers transition to these safer methods.

Note: This statement has been updated to correct an error regarding dicamba’s first OTT use approval date.