Don’t shield pesticide makers from the harm they cause in North Carolina | Opinion
America is a nation drowning in pesticides, with over 1 billion pounds applied to our farms, forests and lawns annually. Linked to diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as developmental disorders and birth defects, some of these toxic chemicals are waging a war on our health. Some of the world’s largest corporations want to cover this up.
As North Carolinians, we unwittingly find ourselves at the forefront of a battle seeking to protect pesticide corporations at the expense of our communities. Chemical giant Bayer appears to be behind Section 19 of the state Farm Act. The dangerous bill would shield pesticide manufacturers from many health-related lawsuits. The North Carolina legislature must stop it.
Section 19 would protect pesticide corporations from their poor business decisions at the expense of our communities. Weed killer Roundup, made by Bayer, offers a prime example. More than $16 billion has been set aside by Bayer for roughly 177,000 lawsuits related to claims that the herbicide caused health issues and people weren’t warned of the risks. Rather than keep losing in court, Bayer is trying to leverage its ill-begotten profits to block state court lawsuits altogether as it has done in Missouri, Iowa, Georgia and other states. By the company’s own admission, this lobbying effort is part of its corporate strategy.
The gag on pesticide litigation is a slap in the face to sick North Carolinians who already endure environmental health impacts from many kinds of pollution.
The World Health Organization categorizes Roundup’s key ingredient glyphosate as a probable carcinogen. While countries from France to Germany to Vietnam have restricted or banned the chemical, domestic glyphosate use is higher than ever — acreage sprayed has skyrocketed ninefold since the 1990s. Glyphosate is so ubiquitous that one study detected the chemical or its byproduct in 60% of surface water samples and 8.5% of groundwater samples nationwide.
Pesticide corporations cannot have it both ways — profiting off dangerous chemicals and stripping people of the right to seek justice in court if they get sick.
The pesticide industry is spending big to sway our lawmakers. Since first elected in 2010, the state Farm Act’s lead sponsor, Sen. Brent Jackson, has taken $11,400 from Bayer and its subsidiary Monsanto (along with almost $80,000 from the North Carolina Farm Bureau, a major supporter of such pesticide lawsuit restrictions). Meanwhile, proposals like Section 19 of the N.C. Farm Act can be found in a dozen states across the country. Nationally, pesticide-affiliated political spending has surged in recent years. In the last Congress, Bayer alone spent about $9.6 million lobbying federal policymakers. North Carolina cannot fall victim to the industry’s big spending.
People power has beaten pesticide corporations before. Public pressure stopped pesticide lawsuit gag rules in multiple states this year, including in Iowa (where a whopping 89% of voters opposed the bill, according to a poll by an organization opposing pesticide lawsuit immunity). We are determined to stop it in North Carolina as well. As the pesticide industry army desperately lobbies in North Carolina and in Congress, our opposition is only mounting.
North Carolina legislators must remember who they work for — our communities, not corporations. That means removing Section 19 from the N.C. Farm Act.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Don’t shield pesticide makers from the harm they cause in North Carolina | Opinion."