The wine industry contributes an estimated $2 billion to the Texas state economy, but winegrowers say their livelihood is under threat by weedkillers intended for use on genetically engineered cotton. They are not placated by EPA assurances that new herbicides use formulations that are less prone to drift onto neighboring land in the No. 1 cotton state, or that spray rigs will use anti-drift nozzles, says the Texas Tribune.
One grower, Paul Bonarrigo, with 44 acres of vines, said herbicide damage to grapevines is a longstanding and major problem. Fellow grower Garrett Irwin says, “I see it could kill the industry, honestly.”
At issue are the herbicides dicamba and 2,4-D, used as an alternative to glyphosate because of the emergence of resistant weeds. The EPA has approved a new formulation of dicamba by Monsanto for biotech cotton that tolerates the chemical. It is expected to decide in early 2017 whether to expand the region where a Dow combination of 2,4-D and glyphosate can be used on corn and cotton to include Texas. The cotton industry says the new herbicides are less likely to drift than earlier versions.