EPA probes alleged illegal herbicide use in area

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has executed federal search warrants at several locations in Southeast Missouri, including Cape Girardeau County, as part of an investigation into alleged misuse of herbicides containing dicamba, according to a news release.

EPA's investigation is ongoing and stems from widespread complaints of damage to crops across Missouri and other states in the Midwest and Southeast.

Special agents from the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division served federal search warrants during the week of Oct. 10 at several locations in Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, New Madrid and Stoddard counties in Missouri.

The searches are part of a continuing criminal investigation into alleged misuse or misapplication of herbicide products containing dicamba.

Since June 22, the Missouri Department of Agriculture has received more than 100 complaints of pesticide drift believed to be related to herbicide-use incidents, mostly within the four counties mentioned.

The complaints allege damage to more than 41,000 acres of crops including soybeans, peaches, tomatoes, watermelons, cantaloupe, rice, purple-hull peas, peanuts, cotton and alfalfa. Herbicide damage also has been reported to residential gardens, trees and shrubs.

Herbicides containing dicamba are registered for use in controlling broadleaf weeds and woody plants. Allowable uses for dicamba products are restricted to pre-plant and post-harvest burndown applications. Dicamba is a highly volatile herbicide prone to move off target through drift or through vapor volatility.

In 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved dicamba-tolerant seed technology for cotton, soybean and corn to assist farmers in controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds. Glyphosate is a herbicide commonly sold as Monsanto's Roundup brand.

The new technology formulations of dicamba are supposed to reduce off-target movement if used in accordance with product labels.

However, EPA has not yet approved the new dicamba technology for use on the new dicamba-tolerant crops.

Search warrants served by EPA agents were issued by a federal judge in Cape Girardeau to gather evidence of possible violations of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act and other federal crimes.

After the warrants are served, supporting affidavits and information will be returned to a U.S. Magistrate in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri, for public filing.

The Daily Dunklin Democrat contacted the office of the U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Missouri. A spokesman neither would confirm nor deny an ongoing investigation.