Agricultural News
The Battle for Atrazine--Worth Drawing a Line in the Sand
Fri, 02 Mar 2012 18:26:46 CST
The drumbeat of pressure from the EPA and environmentalists against atrazine continues unabated. The agricultural compound is one of the most effective and inexpensive herbicides. It is the most widely used herbicide in conservation tillage systems worldwide. There have been many claims made about atrazine's association with birth defects in amphibians, but even the EPA admits that over 200 studies, including some of its own, don't prove a connection.
Still, the drumbeat and lawsuits continue.
Rex Martin, head of industry relations with Syngenta, the maker of atrazine, said the important agricultural chemical needs to be protected.
"For over 50 years atrazine's been a staple for corn, grain sorghum and sugar cane farmers. We need to keep that product on the market. We know that it delivers a lot of economic benefits."
Despite the deluge of studies, despite decades of undeniable economic benefits, Martin said he feels his company's product is in the EPA's crosshairs. He said this battle is an important one and one that the agricultural industry would do well to draw a line in the sand on.
"It is the most studied product that's on the market today. If we were to lose such an important product such as atrazine I think that it would increase the vigor of environmental groups to probably take out other products, so we have to draw this line. If we lose this product, there are no other products that have been studied like this."
Dr. David Bridges has studied the economic costs and benefits of pesticides and herbicides including atrazine for decades. He is now the president of Abraham Baldwin College in Tifton, Georgia. He said the loss of atrazine would be a devastating blow to the U.S. export economy. Still, he said, there are powerful forces who are aligning themselves to try and get atrazine off the market, but he said it will be a big battle.
"Personally, I think it's a matter of scale. Those who wish to change how we do business in the agriculture and the pesticide industry in this country, I think they want a big victory and this is a big product. But from the standpoint of something you can easily pick off, it's not really a good choice.
"Fifty years of study have shown it is a safe product. It doesn't pose an unreasonable risk to humans or to the environment. And, certainly, the benefits are astronomical. There's not another product out there for which you can show the magnitude of benefit over such a long period of time as atrazine."
Bridges said he expects the battle to continue, that the current flurry of activity is just part of the ebb and flow.
"I don't think there's a definable endpoint, I don't. Will we ever get an eternally-binding document in our hands that says: 'Yes. The American farmer can use atrazine from now until the end of time?' No, probably not."
Both Bridges and Martin said the agriculture industry must continue the fight.
You can listen to the full interview with Rex Martin and Dr. David Bridges by pressing the LISTEN BAR below.
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