Attorney General Hanaway, Nebraska, Iowa File Brief To Support Uniform Labeling Requirements For Herbicides Used In Farming

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Today, Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway led a 15-state coalition that filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court to support uniform labeling requirements for herbicides used in farming. This action supports farmer access to glyphosate, one of the most environmentally sound and widely used herbicides on the market.

“For decades, Missouri’s farmers have used glyphosate to protect our crops and food supply,” said Attorney General Hanaway. “United States law establishes strict labeling guidelines for products containing glyphosate. States like California have no right to impose their policy views on Missourians with overreaching, extraterritorial mandates.”

The case concerns the labeling requirements set by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which establishes consistent, science-based instructions nationwide. Yet, some courts have issued rulings that require manufacturers to include a warning label on glyphosate-containing products, suggesting they are carcinogenic or face massive legal liability. This litigation risk threatens to drive manufacturers from the market and deprive Missouri farmers of an essential tool for controlling weeds and maintaining high crop yields.

The States’ brief explains that without a uniform nationwide standard, states can establish labeling requirements that would increase costs, disrupt supply chains, and ultimately threaten access to glyphosate entirely. It also emphasizes the importance of agriculture to Missouri’s economy and outlines the harms that would arise if Missouri farmers were forced to use other, often more toxic, herbicides.

Joining Missouri on the brief were the Attorneys General of Iowa, Nebraska, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah.

Read the brief here.