Critics of large damages payouts from lawsuits challenging the safety of pesticides and herbicides are supporting a Florida bill that would help to shield distributors, dealers, applicators and manufacturers of such products from civil litigation.

House Bill 129, introduced by Rep. J.J. Grow (R-Inverness), mirrors bills proposed in other states to respond to what critics see as out-of-control product-liability lawsuits that hurt farmers and others who use herbicides or pesticides that comply with the requirements of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

William Large, president of the Florida Justice Reform Institute (FJRI), emphasized that the such products have been approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are scientifically determined not to cause unreasonable adverse effects on public health. Yet litigation alleging that Roundup causes cancer continues to be filed in Florida and elsewhere.