One of the world’s most used herbicides is again under fire by environmental activists.

The chemical in question is atrazine, a common herbicide in more than 80 countries that is particularly useful in modern no-till applications, which reduce fuel usage and prevent erosion.

The latest attempt to ban it in the United States comes from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

It recently issued a report pointing to new evidence the group said the EPA should consider as a reason for banning the chemical in farm applications.

Ned Meister, Texas Farm Bureau’s director of commodity and regulatory activities, said atrazine is one of the most studied herbicides on the market.

“It has been in use for a long time,” Meister said. “It does a great job. And, unlike many other products, it’s one of the most affordable on the market.

“Atrazine has a $2 billion impact on agriculture, which I think is important to consider. And scientific evidence does not demonstrate that this is a problem to the environment in any way.”

So why is this one chemical so beneficial for producers?

“If you grow grain sorghum, corn, sugarcane or any number of other crops that you can use this herbicide on, it’s going to be more economical than other products that you can use,” Meister said. “It’s a cost-effective product to use to keep out broadleaf weeds.

“The EPA re-registered atrazine as recently as 2006,” he said. “Prior to that, it had gone through the most rigorous testing that any product has gone through because of allegations of problems with the product.”

NRDC and other groups blame atrazine for a variety of illnesses and conditions from cancer to impotence, low-weight babies to birth defects.

In each case, science proved otherwise, Meister said.

“The long and short of it is this: It’s safe,” he said. “Other countries have deemed it safe, even countries that are typically even more critical of products than the United States is.

“It’s a good product and it should remain on the market in a continued use for agriculture.”

Bobby Horecka lives in China Spring with his family. He writes for the Texas Farm Bureau’s print publications, online news service and video projects.