Bayer sues farmers for seed saving, dicamba spraying

German chemical giant Bayer has launched legal action against four Missouri farmers for allegedly spraying older versions of dicamba herbicide on its genetically engineered (GE) soyabeans, as well as saving the soyabean seeds and replanting them, Investigate Midwest reported on 29 March.

Bayer alleged that the US farmers were in violation of their user agreements with it and had harmed the company’s reputation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

While investigating the allegations of saving seeds, Bayer claimed it found evidence of the farmers illegally spraying older versions of dicamba after the state’s cut-off date for spraying the herbicide, the report said.

Critics have said the lawsuits were an attempt by Bayer to blame the older version of the weedkiller for damage caused by the widespread legal use of dicamba on crops, the report said.

Millions of acres of farmland and natural areas had been harmed by dicamba drifting from sites where it was applied following the introduction of GE dicamba-tolerant crops in 2015, the report said.

Due to the damage, a federal court banned dicamba briefly in 2020, but the EPA re-approved dicamba with additional restrictions a few months later. That approval is currently being challenged, according to the report.

A Bayer spokesman was quoted as saying the lawsuits helped “protect grower access to technologies”.

Bayer is also suing two other farmers for saving seeds, but not illegal spraying of dicamba.