FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 24, 2025) – Attorney General Russell Coleman and Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell took a strong stand for Kentucky agriculture against California’s attempt to dictate what pesticides farm families can use thousands of miles away. General Coleman and Commissioner Shell sent comment letters to the Trump Administration’s new EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in support of nationwide consistency in pesticide labeling requirements.
Currently, states can set their own requirements for health information on pesticide labels. Shockingly, California’s Proposition 65 requires manufacturers to label products containing glyphosate as “likely carcinogenic,” even after the EPA concluded the herbicide does not present a risk to human health.
"California bureaucrats are once again trying to force their will onto Kentucky’s farmers, families, and businesses—costing millions and causing confusion for producers and consumers,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Commissioner Shell and I, along with our partners across the country, support a clear national standard that will let Kentucky farmers get back to what they do best: feeding the Commonwealth and the country.”
The current system of patchwork labeling requirements has led to needless, years-long litigation. It has also left manufacturers and farmers unsure about their legal obligations and the health effects of certain products. Since the states proposed the uniform labeling rule last summer, the federal courts of appeals have reached different conclusions about how manufacturers are required to label their products. The states’ proposed rule would clear up the confusion around labeling requirements and help keep the costs of farming down.
"Kentucky farmers deserve clarity, not confusion, when it comes to the tools they rely on to feed our communities. A uniform national standard for pesticide labeling ensures that science—not political agendas—guides our agricultural policies,” said Commissioner Shell. “I stand with Attorney General Coleman and our partners across the country in fighting against California’s overreach and protecting the ability of our farm families to do their jobs without unnecessary regulatory burdens."
Attorney General Coleman joined the Nebraska-led comment letter with attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and West Virginia.
Read Attorney General Coleman’s letter.