The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday reapproved the use of the controversial herbicide dicamba on genetically modified soybeans and cotton. “EPA has approved three dicamba herbicide products for over-the-top use on cotton and soybeans for the next two growing seasons with the strongest environmental protections in agency history. This decision supports America’s farmers while requiring the strictest safeguards EPA has ever mandated for dicamba use,” the EPA stated in a release. “To be clear, dicamba has already been on the market and available for sale and in wide, continuous use on farms across the United States totally aside from farmers’ pleas for OTT application. President Trump strongly supports America’s farmers, and today’s temporary approval reinforces that commitment. Included are the toughest environmental and human health protections on OTT application in history: halved annual use rates, doubled drift-reduction requirements, stricter temperature limits, and mandatory conservation practices to protect pollinators, neighboring farms, and endangered species,” the agency said. “Grounded in gold-standard science, radical transparency, and accountability, this action ensures farmers have the tools they need to succeed responsibly while safeguarding the environment and rural communities,” it continued. America’s cotton and soybean growers are a vital element of US agriculture. Cotton farmers across the southern United States have been particularly vocal about why they desperately need Over The Top dicamba application as herbicide-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth have… — U.S. EPA (@EPA) February 6, 2026 Some activists have voiced concerns about the herbicide drifting and damaging other crops. “The industry cronies at the EPA just approved a pesticide that they know drifts for miles and poisons organic crops, backyard gardens and 100-year-old trees,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, according to The Hill. “The EPA re-approved dicamba for use on genetically engineered soybeans and cotton, despite mounting evidence that this herbicide is undermining ecological, soil, and human health at landscape scale. Dicamba is a synthetic auxin, meaning it mimics a plant’s own growth hormones, triggering uncontrollable cell growth that kills sensitive broadleaf weeds. The problem is that its effects don’t stay where they’re applied,” agronomy consultant Sam Knowlton said. “Dicamba vaporizes for up to 72 hours after application and drifts unpredictably for miles. By 2017, 3.6 million acres of soybeans were damaged across 25 states from drift events. Drift exposures reduce flowering in native plants, suppress pollinators, and shrink insect biomass which cascading through food webs that migratory birds in the depend on. Proponents of dicamba claim it’s a necessary tool due to its ability to eliminate ‘super weeds’ that have developed resistance to glyphosate and other herbicides,” he continued. The EPA re-approved dicamba for use on genetically engineered soybeans and cotton, despite mounting evidence that this herbicide is undermining ecological, soil, and human health at landscape scale. Dicamba is a synthetic auxin, meaning it mimics a plant's own growth hormones,… pic.twitter.com/RklXuroKMf — Sam Knowlton (@samdknowlton) February 7, 2026 The Hill explained further: The move comes as the Trump administration faces competing pressure from different sides of its base: Farming and chemical interests tend to support pesticide and herbicide approvals, but they face growing scrutiny from the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. While generally supportive of the Trump administration, MAHA activists have been raising concerns about pro-chemical policies at the EPA. The agency, in its statement, acknowledged concerns about dicamba drift: when the pesticide moves through the air to other locations where it wasn’t meant to be sprayed. It said that it was putting new restrictions in place. “The ecological risks associated with dicamba drift and volatility are real. If not carefully mitigated, off-target movement of dicamba can damage sensitive plants and impact neighboring farms and natural ecosystems. These concerns are exactly why the strongest safeguards ever are essential,” the agency said in the statement, which was not attributed to a particular person. It said it would cut the amount of dicamba that can be used each year in half and limit usage during high temperatures. Environmentalists criticized the EPA, saying the use restrictions are insufficient. On the other hand, the American Soybean Association stated that the decision helps farmers prepare for the next growing season and control “destructive weeds,” as noted by the Associated Press. “When push comes to shove, this administration is willing to bend over backward to appease the pesticide industry, regardless of the consequences to public health or the environment,” Donley said. “The EPA announced it has again re-approved carcinogenic, drift-prone dicamba herbicide for use on GMO soybeans and cotton. Two courts, in 2020 and 2024, ruled that the EPA’s approvals of dicamba were illegal. Since the first approval in 2016, the use of this volatile herbicide has resulted in millions of acres of damage to farmland (both organic crops and GMO crops not engineered to withstand dicamba), private gardens, trees, and native plants across the country,” GMO/Toxin Free USA wrote. “The EPA claims new label changes will fix the problem. As if it fixed the problem the last two times the EPA approved dicamba. No amount of label changes will prevent the devastation to come,” it continued. Do you want to know who is responsible for this? First, you'll have to step through the Revolving Door. READ: https://t.co/sNgf7culyb In a February 6 press release, the EPA announced it has again re-approved carcinogenic, drift-prone dicamba herbicide for use on GMO soybeans… pic.twitter.com/g0WWQdFY6S — GMO/Toxin Free USA (@GMOFreeUSA) February 8, 2026 More from the Associated Press: Allowing its use on these two common crops will drastically expand how much is applied and increase harm, advocates say. Kelly Ryerson, an activist with the Make American Healthy Again movement that has forged a fragile political allegiance with the Trump administration, said she was disheartened by the decision. “A top priority of mine was to have the use of Dicamba for over-the-top applications permanently discontinued because” of their harm, she said. “New restrictions on use are not sufficient, and will perpetuate the chemical treadmill where many farmers are trapped.” The EPA said growers want the weed killer and they need to be supported — and that it isn’t a MAHA versus EPA issue. The agency said concerns about dicamba drifting to places where it was not intended are real and must be managed. It set limits on how much can be applied per acre, how much can be applied on hot days and established buffer zones to prevent harm to nearby crops. If followed, the chemical can be used without threatening humans or the environment, according to EPA. Read the full EPA release HERE.