No Immunity for Foreign Pesticide Corporations
Our local farmers get up every day to grow our economy and put food on our tables. But foreign pesticide companies are at it again, trying to convince state lawmakers to ignore our rights, change the laws and give these big corporations immunity from legal consequences if their products hurt people or make them sick.
That's not how America does business. It's time to stand our ground.
Pesticide manufacturers failed to warn Americans of the deadly risks of their products — and now farmers and ag workers are paying for it with their lives. Study after study shows exposure to certain pesticides can dramatically increase your risk of cancer and Parkinson's. Instead of telling Americans the truth, companies like Bayer and ChemChina are lobbying for laws that would limit Iowans' ability to hold them accountable when their pesticides cause harm.
Again and again, we’ve seen big corporations try to get away with causing widespread harm. We’ve seen it with tobacco, asbestos, opioids, and now we’re seeing it with pesticides. Americans should never be robbed of their constitutional rights by politicians and corporate lobbyists, and especially not for the benefit of foreign chemical companies.
Pesticides in the news:
Des Moines Register: House speaker: 'I don't see the support' for bill limiting suits against pesticide makers
KCRG: Farmer raises concern over bill exempting pesticide companies from lawsuits
AP: Bayer backs broadened effort to shield popular weedkiller from claims it failed to warn of cancer
The Guardian: Farmers ‘very worried’ as US pesticide firms push to bar cancer diagnoses lawsuits
After treating his 400 acres of soybeans with RoundUp for decades, Jim was diagnosed with lymphoma. His father faced the same diagnosis after the same exposure to the chemical. His doctor told him, "it's RoundUp." Now Jim is urging lawmakers to not give giant chemical corporations a bailout.
When pesticide giants try to dodge accountability and put our health at risk, Iowans push back. The pesticide liability immunity bill would let chemical corporations off the hook — despite decades of cover-ups, bought-and-paid-for science, and massive misinformation campaigns. There is simply too much at stake, and this is why.
KWWL recently spotlighted a growing crisis: Iowa’s surge in cancer cases and the link to pesticide exposure. Meanwhile, Bayer/Monsanto (RoundUp) and ChemChina (highly toxic Paraquat) are seeking legislation to shield them from accountability, even when their products cause harm.