In a win for farmers’ rights to use proven-safe technology, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled last week that additional regulation of treated seeds would unnecessarily duplicate the Environmental Protection Agency’s existing science-based regulatory review.

The decision protects farmers’ ability to continue using seed treatment technology and maintains the EPA’s currently regulatory approach for treated seeds.

National Corn Growers Association President Wesley Spurlock, a farmer from Stratford, Texas, applauded the Court’s decision.

“Farmers care deeply about preserving and protecting our land, water and air for the next generation. At NCGA, we support regulations that are reasonable and based on sound science. These crop protection tools have already undergone a thorough regulatory review as required by law and have been established as safe and effective. Creating additional regulatory hoops for agriculture to jump through is unnecessary, and only hurts farmers. We are pleased that the Court upheld farmers’ access to this technology,” said Spurlock.

In the Anderson v. EPA ruling, the Court sided with EPA and an industry coalition of intervenors that included NCGA, CropLife America, American Seed Trade Association, Agricultural Retailers Association, American Soybean Association, National Cotton Council of America and the National Association of Wheat Growers.