by Diane Rosenberg | Executive Director
With the Iowa State Legislature officially underway, legislators have another opportunity to responsibly tackle factory farm issues that are important to the vast majority of Iowa citizens. As constituents, we have another chance to make our case for a safer Iowa and a healthier and respectful agricultural system.
As of today, there are three bills that we need to fight for – or against – in 2025: PASSING a CAFO moratorium and the Clean Water for Iowa Act bills and STOPPING SF 2412, the pesticide immunity bill known now as the Cancer Gag Act.
PASS the CAFO Moratorium Bill
We expect the CAFO moratorium bill to be reintroduced this year by Rep. Elinor Levin in the House and we are in discussion with Senator Art Staed (formerly Rep. Staed) to see if we can get the bill introduced in the Senate.
Last year’s moratorium bill prohibited new or expanding construction of medium and large CAFOs, 500 animal units (1250 hogs) or larger. We expect this year’s bill to do the same.
Sixty-three percent of Iowans support a CAFO moratorium. But Big Ag has an outsized influence in the State House that prevented past CAFO moratorium bills from even getting a subcommittee public hearing.
Industrial agriculture – factory farms and the corn/soy monocropping system that props it up – is one of the driving factors in Iowa’s high cancer rates. So legislators need to hear from Iowans in droves as we demand they assign the moratorium bill to a subcommittee, hold a public hearing, and enact a moratorium halting the building of new or expanding factory farms.
PASS the Clean Water for All Act
Last year then Rep. Art Staed, now Senator Staed, introduced the Clean Water for Iowa Act,
HF 2354, that would require Clean Water Act water pollution permits and water quality monitoring for existing medium and large CAFOs. Currently Iowa requires none of this, and such legislation would go a long way in helping to curtail water pollution from factory farms.
This week, Sen. Staed told JFAN he will reintroduce an even more comprehensive water quality bill this year. We will share more information on this bill once we receive the final language.
STOP the Cancer Gag Act – SF 2412
Iowa has the second highest cancer rate in the nation and is the only state where the number of cancer cases is rising. The pesticide immunity bill is back in play this year, and Bayer is ratcheting up pressure to get the legislation passed.
Now called the Cancer Gag Act, Senate File 2412 would provide chemical companies immunity from lawsuits filed by individuals injured while using pesticides.
For a pesticide to be approved by the EPA, it must carry a warning label listing its associated health risks. SF 2412 would establish lawsuit immunity for chemical companies if their pesticides are EPA-approved and contain warning labels.
However, many public health and environmental experts say many of the labels provide insufficient warnings or chemical companies might not be forthcoming with all known risks. For example, in 2020, Monsanto and the German chemical company BASF were aware of dicamba’s risk of pesticide drift but downplayed the threat. The EPA even hesitated to curtail its use while publicly acknowledging the problem.
Chemical companies are required to reregister and review their products every 15 years, and often harms become evident with longer-term use, said Rob Faux, Iowa Communications Manager with the Pesticide Action Network, during a recent webinar organized by the Kill the Cancer Gag Act Coalition.
Additionally, the EPA only evaluates risks of active ingredients but not other parts of a formulation, some of which are equally or more dangerous than the active ingredient, he said.
If passed, SF 2412 would unfairly prevent people harmed under these circumstances from suing for compensation for their injuries.
Bayer-Monsanto already lost numerous lawsuits with verdicts in the billions of dollars brought by plaintiffs who used glyphosate and were later diagnosed with cancer. SF 2412 would stem additional losses for a company that manufactures a pesticide that the World Health Organization deems “a probable carcinogenic”, despite the EPA’s claims to the contrary.
While this is not a bill directly focused on CAFO issues, JFAN is nonetheless supporting the work of the Kill the Cancer Gag Act Coalition working to oppose SF 2412 because of the link pesticide use has to the entire factory farming system.
The Industry’s Response to SF 2412
In an effort to pass the Cancer Gag Act, not only in Iowa but with similar bills in all 50 states, Bayer organized a coalition of 92 organizations called the Modern Ag Alliance and is
promoting the passage of SF 2412 under the slogan, “Control Weeds, Not Farming.” During the election, ads such as these appeared in newspapers around the state, including this one published twice in the Southeast Iowa Union.
Last year, SF 2412 passed in the Senate but failed in the House. It’s expected to pass in the Senate again, but there is opposition in the House from both Democrats and Republicans, as well as support from both parties. Coalition organizers feel there is a good chance the bill can be defeated again – but only if enough pressure is levied on legislators to vote against it.
It’s likely we’ll see other bills surface during the legislation session that will demand our attention. JFAN will keep you informed and send out alerts as they arise.
What You Can Do
Stay tuned for action alerts and more information on all three bills. In the meantime, you can:
Contact your legislators and tell them you want the CAFO moratorium and Clean Water for Iowa bills to receive a fair subcommittee public hearing and to pass these bills to make Iowa safer for all.
Then tell legislators to vote NO on SF 2412.
Attend legislative forums in your area. Jefferson County will have its first of two forums on Saturday, January 18 at 7:30 am at the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center with Representatives Jeff Shipley and Helena Hayes and Senator Adrian Dickey. If you missed it, you can watch it here. The next legislative forum is scheduled for Saturday, March 15 from 7:30 - 9:00 am.
Participate the upcoming lobby days. Hold the date – more information coming shortly.
Clean Water Day of Action, Monday, February 10 from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Let’s keep the pressure up for a safer, healthier, Iowa and an agricultural system that responsible, respectful and regenerative. We deserve nothing less.