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BAYER PROTECTION ACT: Iowa Senate passes bill limiting lawsuits against pesticide manufacturers

By ethanh // 2024-04-16

One of the nation's largest conventional food-growing states just passed a bill that critics say protects the chemical agriculture industry from civil lawsuits. That state is Iowa, where state senators just passed Senate File 2412 to protect pesticide companies from lawsuits involving contaminated food that poisons and sickens consumers. SF 2412 "allows that if a label is approved by the EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) and is consistent with the most recent human health assessment under federal law and the EPA's carcinogen classification, companies would be safe from civil liability." In other words, just like with Big Pharma and its vaccines racket, the chemical ag racket can continue to flood the farming industry with dangerous and highly toxic growing chemicals without having to worry about being held liable for damages. (Related: Did you know that 75 percent of fresh, non-organic produce sold in the United States contains toxic pesticide residue?)

Bayer, owner of Roundup, behind SF 2412

As you might expect, SF 2412 was not crafted by Iowa legislators. It is the product of Bayer, the new owner of Roundup (glyphosate), which a few years back purchased Monsanto. Iowa Public Radio reported that Bayer proposed the bill not only in Iowa but also other heavy farming states in an attempt to shield itself from consumer lawsuits. Bayer, as a side note, is drowning in lawsuits involving Roundup right now, so this more than likely played a role in the company's pushing of this new legislation. "Bayer, the chemical company that produces Roundup, proposed the bill in Iowa and other states in an effort to reduce lawsuits alleging the commonly used weedkiller has caused cancer," Iowa Public Radio reported. "It says pesticide makers cannot be held liable for failing to alert people of possible health risks as long as their products have a federally-approved label." The report continues by revealing that SF 2412 specifically aims to limit lawsuits over Roundup, but also includes many other chemical pesticides known to damage human health. "As cancer rates in Iowa rise, state lawmakers continue to advance a bill that would add legal protections for pesticide makers like Bayer, who helped write the bill," commented GMWatch, an independent organization that covers issues relating to genetically modified (GMO) crops and their associated pesticides. Iowa Republican state senator Amy Sinclair, meanwhile, defends SF 2412, arguing it is needed to protect modern farming practices. "Iowa feeds the world," Sinclair believes. "And we need partners in that who aren't constantly under threat of lawsuits for following the very laws governing the way they do business." Republicans, by the way, are the reason why SF 2412 passed. Democrats in Iowa's state sent oppose the bill, warning it favors large corporations over the health of Iowa residents, including those who suffer from pesticide-related terminal illnesses. "This bill is stripping away the legal protections for Iowa farmers," warned Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum, a Democrat. "And they are the people who are getting diseases like cancer and Parkinson's from chemicals they're putting on their land that we know [are] causing it." Andrew Mertens from the Iowa Association for Justice told local media that numerous studies clearly show that exposure to the chemical products sprayed on crops increases one's risk of developing cancer or Parkinson's. There is a link "between certain agricultural practices and pesticide use, and cancer," says the Iowa Cancer Consortium. Back in 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) came to the conclusion that glyphosate specifically is "probably carcinogenic to humans." "Republicans always side with big business over the people," one commenter wrote about one of the Republican Party's fatal flaws concerning issues like this. The latest news about the chemical industry and how it poisons the food supply can be found at Pesticides.news. Sources for this article include: 100percentfedup.com NaturalNews.com

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