ARA Joins in Glyphosate Litigation

WASHINGTON (April 21, 2020) – Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President and CEO Daren Coppock released the following statement following the announcement that ARA joined a nationwide coalition of agricultural and professional stakeholders in a motion to intervene in Rural Coalition et al. v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency et al., which challenges EPA’s Interim Registration Review Decision on glyphosate:

"ARA will continue to defend glyphosate in order to ensure the product's availability in the future. We have long supported decisions based on sound science, and that has been the case with glyphosate. This is one of the safest, most versatile and widely used agricultural pesticides in the United States and access to it continues to be vital to American agriculture."

The coalition’s motion makes three main points:

• The EPA’s assessment is scientifically sound:  We stand by the EPA’s Interim Registration Review of glyphosate, which “did not identify any human health risks from exposure to glyphosate,” echoing the favorable regulatory conclusions of leading health regulators worldwide. EPA’s science-based, in-depth assessment by its expert team reflects a gold standard for scientific rigor that is respected by regulators and scientists across the globe. Further, the EPA’s conclusions are supported by a body of science spanning over 40 years that has consistently confirmed that glyphosate-based products can be used safely as directed and that glyphosate is not carcinogenic.
• Glyphosate is very important to agriculture and the interests of the parties to this motion. Glyphosate-based products are among the most thoroughly studied herbicides in the world. Its safety and efficacy have made glyphosate the most widely used herbicide by growers and other professionals worldwide, who rely on it not only for effective weed control, but also to minimize tillage farming practices, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and preserve more land for native habitats. Furthermore, the use of glyphosate-based products allows growers to achieve greater yields and provide an abundance of food to meet the needs of a growing population worldwide.
• The coalition meets the legal standard to intervene in this case:  We have requested the court’s approval to intervene as the EPA is not able to adequately represent our significant interests in EPA’s Interim Registration Review Decision on glyphosate, which are threatened in this matter. We are determined that regulatory decisions about glyphosate should be guided by science, not conjecture. The livelihood of farmers and growers, who have been using glyphosate safely and effectively for more than four decades, depends on it.

In addition to ARA, the parties that joined a motion to intervene include the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers,  National Corn Growers Association, National Cotton Council of America, American Soybean Association,  National Sorghum Producers, American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Association of Landscape Professionals, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and Monsanto.