Leaders of the nonprofit advocacy group Toxic Free North Carolina held a virtual press conference along with community advocates on Wednesday to warn lawmakers against what they said are the dangers of Section 19 in the 2025 North Carolina Farm Act.
The provision, part of Senate Bill 639, would remove responsibility from pesticide manufacturers and sellers to disclose a product’s risks as long as the pesticide container bears a label indicating that it has been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act.
The bill’s language would also remove the ability of individuals and families harmed by pesticide exposure to seek justice in court, according to Toxic Free NC.
“This is a direct attack on our community’s right to hold chemical manufacturers accountable for the harm they cause,” Toxic Free NC Policy Manager Kendall Wimberley said. “This is not something communities are asking for.”
Bayer, a Triangle-based global pesticide manufacturer, has supported the language in the bill as it has moved through several committees in the North Carolina Senate. The bill was withdrawn from the chamber’s floor and referred to the Senate Rules Committee last week.
Similar bills have been introduced in other states. Eight have failed thus far in 2025 — in Iowa, Tennessee, Florida, Wyoming, Montana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Idaho — although North Dakota and Georgia passed their versions of the legislation.
In Iowa, critics branded the proposal as the “Cancer Gag Act” due to the dangers it allegedly posed.
“Evidence presented in the courts is showing that Bayer has failed to warn consumers about the harms of their products,” Wimberley said. “They are facing billions of dollars in settlement lawsuits, and they are now spending millions of dollars lobbying efforts to try to stop that.”
Section 19 would shield pesticide companies from responsibility even when their products pose high risks for cancer, brain damage, infertility, or developmental harm in children, according to Wimberley, as these specific health risks are not required to be included on pesticide labels.
The North Carolina Farm Act has come under fire for another portion of the bill as well. About 100 activists gathered in Raleigh at the start of the month to advocate against banning raw milk sales as the bill was heard before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Bayer did not immediately respond to NC Newsline’s request for comment.
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