On July 22nd, a judgement by the 9th U.S Circuit Court of Appeals has given a green signal to Corteva Inc to continue to sell an agricultural weed killer that according to the environmentalists are threatening the plants and wildlife. The combination herbicide, with a blend of 2,4-D choline and glyphosate, was challenged in court by six plaintiffs, specifically suing EPA with Dow Agrosciences (now Corteva Agrisciences) listed as respondent-intervenor.
The judgement comes after a weeks-long battle in June after the same court blocked a rival herbicide sold by Bayer AG. The companies compete for sales of chemicals and seeds in the $40 billion U.S. soybean market. Enlist Duo is sprayed on soybeans, corn and cotton that are designed to resist it.
According to a report by Reuters, the three-judge panel rejected a claim made by the Environmental Groups that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency failed to properly consider the product's volatility, or tendency to evaporate into a gas and drift away.
During a media interaction with Reuters, the company said that they are confident in the sustainability and effectiveness of Enlist Duo. However many Environmental Groups criticized the court’s decision by saying that EPA cites does not even qualify as scientific data.
