On a 9 to 5 vote, the Arkansas State Plant Board agreed on June 23 to ban the spraying of dicamba products. As drift complaints are picking up steam, the board determined “an emergency exists.”
Over 240 drift complaints (http://www.aad.arkansas.gov/arkansas-dicamba-information-updates) have been made, with the vast majority coming out of east Arkansas. Mississippi County, in the state’s northeast, has 81 complaints alone.
The board also voted to speed up implementation for a new penalty matrix targeting those committing egregious spraying violations. Without picking up the pace the new penalties – up to $25,000 per violation – would only go into effect on August 1.
The rules now move to the governor’s office.
