Growers Sign Petition for Atrazine Use
Growers and agriculture organizations are signing an online petition at www.AGSense.org that will be sent to U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, voicing growers’ concerns about her agency’s renewed review of atrazine.
That review is under way and could result in increased restrictions or an outright ban of this product, which has been used by growers for as long as two generations.
“Growers who depend on atrazine to maximize yields, conserve the soil and help produce their crops affordably are standing up to let their voices be heard,” said Jere White, chair of Triazine Network, which started the petition.
The crop-protection product is facing not only another government review but also an orchestrated activist campaign led by anti-agriculture groups and two class-action lawsuits in Illinois state and federal courts against its primary manufacturer, Syngenta, according to White.
“Now is the time to join this movement to save atrazine and stand up against extremist groups who want to hijack regulators into driving us out of business,” White said.