Who has the final say in pesticide law? Upcoming webinar providing insight into glyphosate litigation
Litigation, pre-emption in glyphosate cases focus of webinar
Jan. 27, 2022
By Will Clark
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Fast facts:
- National Agricultural Law Center webinar providing overview of glyphosate litigation
- Webinar is Feb. 16 at noon-1 p.m. EST/11-noon CST.
(436 words)
(With art at https://bit.ly/3H6xo1k)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Do federal pesticide labelling laws preempt state law claims? This question will be a focus of the National Agricultural Law Center’s webinar, “A Legal Roundup of Glyphosate: History and Outlook,” on Feb. 16, at noon EST/11 a.m. CST.
Glyphosate is a widely used pesticide in the United States. It is also the active ingredient in Roundup, a product manufactured by Bayer CropScience, and has been used for decades to combat weeds. In recent years, glyphosate has been at the center of several lawsuits where the plaintiffs claim that exposure to glyphosate caused them to develop cancer. Following jury trials, the lawsuits have resulted in several large awards awarded to plaintiffs, a large settlement available to thousands of plaintiffs, and an emerging legal issue that may ultimately be heard by the Supreme Court.
This webinar will offer an overview of glyphosate litigation, including a brief history and status of the topic as well as an in-depth look at the issue of preemption, a legal term used when a higher form of government reduces the authority of a lower level of government, and what it could mean for pesticide lawsuits.
According to a 2019 EPA report, approximately 280 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to nearly an average of 300 million acres of crop land annually. The broad-spectrum pesticide continues to be the topic of debate in several legal proceedings and regulatory processes. A more recent regulatory update includes EPA’s January 2020 interim decision for registration review. Due to the widespread use of glyphosate, any legal or regulatory decision regarding glyphosate has the potential to impact agricultural producers throughout the country.
“The webinar will break down the complex litigation involving glyphosate, and where the lawsuits currently stand,” said Brigit Rollins, National Agricultural Law Center staff attorney and webinar presenter. “Attendees should be able to walk away with knowledge of the relevant legal issues, the status of the settlement and on-going lawsuits, and an understanding of why one glyphosate case has been appealed to the Supreme Court."
Rollins is a native of California and graduate of the Lewis & Clark Law School. Her focus is environmental law.
“Brigit’s expertise in environmental law will allow registrants of this webinar to fully grasp the legal state of glyphosate as we see it today,” National Agricultural Law Center Director Harrison Pittman said. “As an ongoing legal issue, glyphosate is a major topic to follow as we continue into 2022.”
Learn more and register for the webinar here: https://bit.ly/3fUOhA6.
For more information on the National Agricultural Law Center, visit https://nationalaglawcenter.org/ or follow @Nataglaw on Twitter.
About the National Agricultural Law Center
The National Agricultural Law Center serves as the nation’s leading source of agricultural and food law research and information. The Center works with producers, state and federal policymakers, Congressional staffers, attorneys, land grant universities, and many others to provide objective, nonpartisan agricultural and food law research and information to the nation’s agricultural community.
The Center is a unit of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and works in close partnership with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Agricultural Library.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact 479-575-4607 as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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