Ag-Gag Statutes
Agricultural Law Weekly Review – Week Ending August 13, 2021
Pesticides/Herbicides: California State Appellate Court Affirms Verdict in Pilliod v. Monsanto 🌾
On August 9, 2021, the Court of Appeal for the State of California issued an opinion affirming the jury verdict in a glyphosate products liability claim against Monsanto/Bayer. Pilliod et al. v. Monsanto Company, No. A158228. In 2019, a jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiffs, Alva and Alberta Pilliod, who alleged that their thirty-year use of Monsanto/Bayer’s glyphosate-based Roundup weed killer caused them both to develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, in the amount of $2 billion but the trial court reduced it to $87 million on […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review – Week Ending April 16, 2021
COVID-19: Farmer to Families Food Box Program Ends; Fresh Produce Box Purchases and Dairy Donation Program Planned 🌾
According to statements made by Secretary Vilsack posted to USDA’s website on April 14, 2021, the Farmer to Families Food Box Program will be terminated at the close of April 2021 when the current funded vendor contracts end. On April 14. 2021, Reuters reported that USDA Communications Director Matt Herrick stated USDA is focused on different hunger initiatives, including expanding food stamp benefits and increasing food purchases through existing government food distribution programs. On April 9, 2021, USDA released a
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—week ending June 19, 2020
COVID-19: Pennsylvania’s CARES Act Funding Establishes $15 Million PA Dairy Indemnity Program
On June 16, 2020, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced the availability of a total of $40 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to be used by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for dairy farmers, food programs, and agricultural producers, as appropriated by the General Assembly in the partial 2020-21 state fiscal year budget. In addition to $15 million to the State Food Purchase Program and $5 million to the Pennsylvania Agricultural Surplus System (PASS) for charitable food system […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review—week ending June 12, 2020
Pesticides: EPA Cancels Dicamba Product Registrations and That Action is Immediately Challenged in Court
On June 8, 2020, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a “Final Cancellation Order,” effective retroactively to June 3, 2020, of the 2018 product registrations of dicamba herbicides Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan in order to comply with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit’s (Ninth Circuit) June 3, 2020, decision invalidating those three registrations as having been granted in violation of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). EPA’s order states that existing stock in the possession of commercial […]
Agricultural Law Weekly Review —December 5, 2019
Rural Landowner Rights: Two Acts Revamp PA Trespassing and Sunday Hunting
On November 27, 2019, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed into law two bills that affect the property rights of rural, undeveloped and agricultural landowners.
- House Bill 1772, now known as Act 103 of 2019 is effective January 26, 2020, and allows for the use of vertical purple lines painted on trees or posts to provide notice against trespassing under the PA Crimes Code. The purple paint lines must be within 100 feet from each other, at least eight inches long, one inch wide, must be […]
