Last month, the [Environmental Protection Agency’s] comment period closed on its proposal to impose new restrictions on an important product for farmers growing corn, sorghum and sugarcane. It’s a herbicide called atrazine. When applied, it prevents weeds from photosynthesizing. Farmers in the United States have used atrazine for more than 60 years. And the EPA’s regular and routine scientific assessments have consistently found that its use is safe for humans and the environment, even at application levels much higher than commonly used today.
For many U.S. farmers, including those in America’s Corn Belt, the EPA’s new rules equate to an outright ban. The choice will exacerbate the food-supply squeeze as farmers are forced to observe EPA’s costly new measures, reduce their overall corn acreage or stop producing corn entirely. As with everything, consumers will eventually pay the extra expense.
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Related on the SLP
There’s still a chance the EPA can abandon its proposal to curtail the use of atrazine. Farmers, farm organizations, state agriculture departments, governors of corn-producing states and other experts have written to the agency asking them to slow down and reconsider. Anyone who eats has the opportunity to do the same.
