DES Moines, Iowa — Iowans are urging House Republicans to oppose a bill that they fear would grant legal immunity to pesticide companies.
“This bill would make it harder for Iowans to take Bayer or other multinational corporations like them to court if they get harmed by using their products,” Ava Auen-Ryan with Iowa Citizens for Community Action Fund said.
The bill, which has already passed the Senate, states that a warning label on pesticide products would fulfill any requirement to warn consumers of health or safety risks.
Now, some Iowans are calling on House Republicans to oppose it and stop it from reaching Governor Kim Reynolds desk.
“We’re here to remind every legislator that serves in the House that they have a decision to make to side with the pesticide industry or to side with their constituents,” Michaelyn Mankel with Food and Water Watch Iowa said.
At the center of the debate is Bayer’s product Roundup, which is facing multiple lawsuits over allegations that it causes cancer.
However, Bayer disputed that and said their product does not cause cancer. As Iowa Capitol Dispatch reports, the company said it’s in compliance with the EPA when it comes to product labeling.
Many in Iowa’s agriculture industry support the legislation and fear they could lose access to the product if litigation continues. The Modern Ag Alliance said a survey they conducted found 94% of farmers oppose lawsuits that could take the crop protection product away.
“Farmers in Iowa overwhelmingly support this legislation because they are tired of having their critical tools jeopardized by the litigation industry and radical, anti-ag activist groups that want to ‘end capitalism’ and put our farms at risk,” Elizabeth Burns-Thompson, the executive director of Modern Ag Alliance, said. “If farmers lose access to safe crop protection inputs due to meritless litigation, it will cripple their ability to compete and cause food prices to go even higher.”
They claim the proposal just ‘reasserts that federally approved pesticide labels are the law’ and that as long as companies follow the law they can’t be hit with ‘relentless litigation.’
Yet, Democrats contend the bill prioritizes corporate profits over Iowans’ health.
“This bill only gives corporate profits a boost,” State Rep. Megan Srinivas (D-Des Moines) said. “It tells Iowans that your lives don’t matter especially when we’re facing an epidemic at disastrous proportions.”
Last year, a similar bill stalled in the Iowa House and House Speaker Pat Grassley told Iowa’s News Now last week it’s still unclear whether the bill has enough support among Republicans.
“I think that’s gonna be something that we’re gonna have a caucus conversation as well as a committee conversation on,” Speaker Grassley said. “I don’t think there’s been any decisions made at this point.”
Iowa groups have had mixed reactions when it comes to support for the bill. Agriculture groups are registered in favor of it including Iowa’s Farm Bureau Federation and Iowa’s Corn Growers Association. Meanwhile, Iowa’s environmental groups like Iowa’s Environmental Council and Food and Water Watch Iowa is registered against it.
