Dicamba-based herbicides allegedly resulted in the destruction of plant habitat for the honeybees and, in turn, caused the bees to produce less honey, according to the court’s ruling.
A federal judge in Missouri is allowing a beekeeper’s claims to move forward against Bayer, concluding there was enough of a sufficient link between a Monsanto herbicide product that allegedly destroyed vegetation essential for bees.
In a Tuesday ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. for the Eastern District of Missouri partially denied a summary judgment motion for Bayer Corp. and BASF Corp., in a suit brought by a beekeeping and honey-producing operation, Coy’s Honey Farm. Coy’s Honey filed suit claiming the defendants’ use of dicamba-based herbicide products moved away from the targeted dicamba-tolerant plants, damaged vegetation surrounding the beekeeping operation and resulted in reduced honey production and bee population. The defendants argued Coy’s Honey failed to show that its products, XtendiMax and Engenia, caused the alleged damages and other things.
