Don’t let frivolous pesticide label lawsuits hurt Missouri farmers’ wallets | Opinion

When we say farming is the backbone of Missouri’s economy, we mean it. Agriculture isn’t just part of our identity — it’s a major economic engine. In 2024 alone, Missouri’s agriculture industry contributed nearly $100 billion to the state economy and supported nearly 500,000 jobs. Our corn farmers alone produce roughly 4% of the nation’s corn crops and 7% of its soybean crops annually, helping feed families far beyond state lines.

That success, however, depends on access to reliable, effective tools — especially American-made crop protection products that farmers have safely used for decades. Today, those tools are under attack by trial lawyers who are exploiting technical discrepancies between federal and state labeling requirements. These money-hungry, out-of-state interest groups are filing frivolous lawsuits that risk pushing Environmental Protection Agency-approved pesticides off the market altogether.

Unlike states such as North Dakota and Georgia, Missouri has not yet passed legislation affirming that labels approved by the EPA are the governing principle in our state, even though that has been the gold standard for decades. Without that clarity, manufacturers remain vulnerable to costly litigation, even when their products comply fully with science-based federal regulations. If this trend continues, agrochemical companies will have no choice but to stop production of these products in the U.S., threatening manufacturing facilities that have provided well-paying jobs and helped our farmers grow their crops for decades.

In fact, manufacturing plays a critical role in Missouri’s economy, accounting for roughly 12% of our state’s gross domestic product, contributing nearly $53 billion annually and employing more than 250,000 people. If agrochemical manufacturers are forced to scale or shut down operations entirely due to baseless legal attacks, workers will pay the price through layoffs and lost wages. Entire communities that depend on these jobs could feel the impact.

But the damage doesn’t stop there. At the same time, forcing American-made products off the market would leave our state’s farmers with fewer options and more dependent on foreign suppliers like China, which would gain an even larger share of the U.S. crop protection market. That kind of consolidation gives overseas companies more control over prices and availability, potentially driving up costs for farmers here at home. This isn’t just an economic issue. It’s a matter of food security and national resilience.

Higher supply costs are especially dangerous for Missouri’s family farmers, who make up more than 95% of the farms in our state. Farming is already a high-risk business, challenged by volatile commodity prices, unpredictable weather and finding the next generation willing to carry on the family operation. With farm bankruptcies on the rise across the country and here at home, adding higher input costs to the equation could push many farmers past their breaking point, destroying their livelihoods and the rural economies that depend on them.

Thankfully, this outcome is not inevitable. We just need our lawmakers to act by adopting commonsense policies that protect access to EPA-approved crop protection tools and provide regulatory certainty for manufacturers and farmers alike. Our state’s prosperity depends on both the people who grow our food and those who make the tools they rely on.

We need legislators to stand with the industries that make Missouri strong by supporting science-based regulation, protecting American manufacturing and ensuring our farmers can continue doing what they’ve done for generations: Feed the nation and power our economy.

Ray McCarty is president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Missouri, Missouri’s oldest 501(c)(6) business association. AIM’s mission is to promote a favorable business, manufacturing and industry climate.