Annapolis, Maryland | June 25, 2026 – Today, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a deeply disappointing decision in Monsanto v. Durnell that puts the interests of pesticide manufacturers ahead of the health and safety of farmers, farm workers, consumers, and communities. By ruling that federal pesticide law blocks state failure-to-warn claims, the Court has crippled an important pathway for people harmed by pesticides to seek accountability when they believe companies failed to provide adequate warnings about potential risks.
The Maryland Pesticide Education Network (MPEN) led Smart on Pesticides Coalition (SOPC) strongly disagrees with this decision. MPEN and SOPC signed on to one of the 17 amicus briefs in support of Durnell. Pesticide companies should not be shielded from responsibility when questions arise about whether their product labels are adequately protecting the people who use them and the communities exposed to them.
The decision creates a dangerous precedent: that once a pesticide label is approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) when it is first registered, manufacturers may avoid accountability for failing to provide additional warnings for the life of the product — even when emerging health impact concerns are supported by a substantial and peer-reviewed body of scientific evidence.
For decades, pesticide manufacturers have financially benefited from a regulatory system that places enormous trust in industry-provided data and EPA oversight. Yet history has shown that government review alone does not always prevent harm. Independent science, state protections, and the ability of affected individuals to seek justice through the courts are critical safeguards for public health.
“The carcinogenicity of glyphosate is not a fringe concern — it is grounded in rigorous epidemiological and toxicological research that has withstood serious scientific scrutiny. Consumers, farmers, farmworkers, and others exposed to pesticides in the workplace deserve the right to know about potential hazards associated with pesticide products they use or are exposed to. Communities deserve the ability to advocate for stronger protections when new evidence emerges. States have long served as laboratories for public health protections, often acting when federal safeguards have fallen short,” said Ruth Berlin, Executive Director, Maryland Pesticide Education Network.
This decision also reinforces the urgent need for Congress to protect states’ authority to safeguard their residents from pesticide harms, as Maryland lawmakers have upheld in their passage of a score of pesticide-related state laws. Public health and environmental protections should not be weakened by precedent-setting legal doctrines that prevent states, communities, and individuals from responding to emerging risks. SOPC will continue to take up the cause with lawmakers and advocates to protect the public.
“The Smart on Pesticides Coalition remains committed to advancing science-based pesticide policies that prioritize prevention, transparency, accountability, and the health of people and the environment,” said Sean Lynch, SOPC Project Director. “We will continue working with farmers, healthcare professionals, scientists, advocates, and communities to ensure that pesticide decisions are guided by public health — not by the interests and influence of the chemical industry.”
The public has a right to know. Farmers have a right to protection. Communities have a right to a voice. Victims have a right to continue to win lawsuits with evidence proving pesticide manufacturers knew and hid product dangers from the public.
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