Before the House passed the 2026 Farm Bill on Thursday, it removed three provisions that would have shielded pesticide manufacturers from liability.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), joined by Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), led an amendment to remove three provisions from the bill that would have shielded pesticide manufacturers from accountability. The amendment passed 280-142 with broad bipartisan support, then the full Farm Bill cleared the House 224-200.
What the Stripped Provisions Would Have Done
The three sections removed (10205, 10206, and 10207) would have:
Limited your ability to sue. Section 10205 would have made it significantly harder for Americans to hold pesticide manufacturers liable for health damages, effectively shielding companies from lawsuits over products that fail to warn of cancer risk or other health effects beyond what the EPA formally recognizes. Bayer’s Roundup herbicide and its active ingredient glyphosate, the most commonly used herbicide in the United States, have been the subject of numerous lawsuits claiming the company failed to warn users of cancer risk.
Blocked state warning requirements. Section 10206 would have eliminated the ability of state and local governments to impose pesticide restrictions stricter than federal standards. Under the stripped language, a state could not have required warning labels that go beyond EPA-approved language, even if local evidence suggested greater risk.
Weakened environmental protections. Section 10207 would have reduced existing safeguards under the Clean Water Act and the Endangered Species Act as they relate to pesticide use.
What This Changes for Farmers and Landowners
Glyphosate-based herbicides are widely used in conventional agriculture and frequently detected in soil, water, and food supply chains. With these provisions removed, Americans retain the right to sue pesticide manufacturers when their products cause harm, and states keep the authority to require warning labels beyond federal minimums.
The Luna amendment preserves the status quo on two fronts: your right to take a pesticide company to court if their product causes harm, and your state’s ability to require warning labels that go beyond federal minimums.
House Agriculture Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson argued that removing the provisions was “such a blow to the American farmer,” contending the language was intended to prevent frivolous lawsuits rather than shield bad actors. That argument did not hold. The amendment passed with enough Republican votes to clear the chamber by a wide margin.
What Happens Next
The Farm Bill now moves to the Senate, where the Agriculture Committee has not yet advanced its own version. The Senate version may look different, and the pesticide provisions could resurface in conference negotiations before any final bill reaches the President’s desk.
“This is the second piece in our coverage of the 2026 Farm Bill. For background on the full bill and what else passed, see our earlier breakdown here: The 2026 Farm Bill Is on the House Floor Today.“
Working Acre will follow this as it develops. For further reading, The Hill has solid coverage of the amendment vote here. The full bill text is available at congress.gov.
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