dailyloe.com – The House of Representatives removed controversial pesticide provisions from the farm bill on Thursday. This decision followed a significant uprising from the Make America Healthy Again movement, which threatened the passage of the broader package. The amendment, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla, passed with a vote of 280-142.
Lawmakers and MAHA advocates opposed the provisions, stating they acted as a “liability shield” for Bayer against allegations that its Roundup herbicide and glyphosate cause cancer. The broader farm bill was approved by the House earlier that morning with a vote of 224-200. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, voiced concerns that the language was a “handout to big agriculture, to big chemical.”
Pingree emphasized that the provisions undermined states’ rights to regulate pesticide usage and labeling. She stated, “Put simply, this language puts chemical company profits over the health of Americans.” Numerous lawsuits have claimed glyphosate is linked to cancer, with Bayer and Monsanto facing liability for not warning of potential risks.
The Environmental Protection Agency does not classify glyphosate as a carcinogen and does not mandate cancer risk disclosure on labels. However, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer identified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015. The bill’s language would have prevented states and courts from penalizing any entity for failing to meet additional labeling or packaging requirements.
House Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson opposed the amendment, arguing that removing the provision would harm American farmers. He insisted it would only limit “frivolous lawsuits” and that “bad actors” could still be sued. Despite the controversy, Thompson celebrated the farm bill’s passage, calling it a win for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities.
