From the realm of agricultural legislation, 2019 was annually for essential developments and modifications. In short below, lawyers in the National Agricultural Law Center have compiled and identified the very best policy and legal improvements that influenced agriculture in 2019, such as many who may continue to do so in years ahead.
Many pesticides are the focus of ongoing lawsuits within the last year. Juries returned verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs in several unique cases filed from Monsanto for failing to warn users that glyphosate, used in Roundup, causes cancer. A fourth instance accusing Monsanto of failing to warn users of the consequences of glyphosate was scheduled to be argued in October but has been postponed before the trial date. Many speculated that the postponement was to provide the parties an opportunity to settle out of court while Monsanto appealed the verdicts at the three other instances. Even though Monsanto battled suits over glyphosate, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confronted challenges to its acceptance of this pesticide sulfoxaflor. In June, EPA eliminated restrictions it had formerly put in place on applications of sulfoxaflor, prompting environmental classes and beekeepers' associations to file a lawsuit against the bureau.
In August, the Department of Interior declared a host of new guidelines that made a collection of adjustments to this Endangered Species Act (ESA). The rules affect exactly what species get ESA protections, the designation of critical habitats, and the total amount of protection given to endangered species. Changes contained repealing the"blanket 4(d)" principle, restricting the region which could be designated as critical habitat only to areas that are now occupied by a species, and restructuring exactly what variables will be taken into consideration when listing a species as endangered. The modifications immediately prompted a backlash, and a suit was filed against the Secretary of Interior shortly after the rules have been declared.