Dicamba is used in part to destroy weeds that have become resistant to glyphosate, another herbicide developed by Monsanto. Environmental groups have urged a US court to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to vacate its approval of Monsanto’s dicamba-based weedkiller, XtendiMax, arguing that the product harms nearby crops, plants and wildlife. The EPA has said it will not appeal the decision by Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, but Monsanto is expected to appeal. The groups claim the EPA failed to analyse the risks of the products before approving them in 2016. The agency is currently considering whether to renew the sales licence for dicamba, which expires in November, in a move that has implications for agrochemical firms including Bayer-owned Monsanto, BASF, Engenia and DowDuPont.
Environmental groups have urged a US court to call on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to vacate its approval of Monsanto’s dicamba-based weedkiller, XtendiMax, arguing that the product harms nearby crops, plants and wildlife. The EPA has said it will not appeal the decision by Judge William Alsup in San Francisco, but Monsanto is expected to appeal. The groups claim the EPA failed to analyse the risks of the products before approving them in 2016. The agency is currently considering whether to renew the sales licence for dicamba, which expires in November, in a move that has implications for agrochemical firms including Bayer-owned Monsanto, BASF, Engenia and DowDuPont.