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Sep 29, 2016
Earlier this week, Bayer announced its decision to drop a Federal lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the cancellationof its pesticide product, flubendiamide.
Flubendiamide is commercially known as Belt, and is an effective and safe insecticide used by many soybean growers across the south to battle harmful pests, such as corn earworm and soybean looper, with minimal impact to beneficial insects.
Bayer said in a statement this week that the lawsuit would have been risky and prevented growers from accessing the product during the proceedings—which could have lasted for several years.
The American Soybean Association (ASA) led efforts this past spring, along with a coalition of over 30 other commodity and food organizations, to challenge the EPA on the process they decided to cancel the commonly used insecticide. ASA was part of an amicus brief supporting Bayer, stating that EPA is denying growers protections of a lawful cancellation procedure, including required consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); opportunity for full grower input; scientific peer review; and the opportunity for a full evidentiary administrative hearing challenging the merits of EPA’s scientific and regulatory determinations.
